A Tale of Time Past
by marqueen137
Summary: Hermione gets sent back to 1978 after being tortured by Bellatrix at Malfoy Manor. A combination of two dark curses sends her back through time. Making friends with the Marauders and Lily, will she be able to help save them and change the future for the better, or will she make it worse? *Very sporadic updates*
1. 1 Going Back, Healing, and No Return

Hi! I just want to start off with a few words, I don't own anything that you may recognize. I am not making any money off this.

I also want to say a major thanks to my alpha reader, Ashley, and my beta reader, Rachael!

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0o0o0 March 24th 0o0o0

Searing pain.

That's all she could feel.

The feeling of her bones breaking and mending, only to be broken again. The feeling of her skin being ripped apart and sewn back together. Her heart stopped. Her lungs stopped working. Is this what it felt like to die?

They'd been searching for Horcruxes for nearly eight months now, and she knew that they were getting close. But one slip of the tongue had led them to be captured. Ron had told them that the name was taboo, but Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself. That one slip up had broken all enchantments that she had placed around the tent. They'd been caught. And it was all her fault.

The pain stopped, but not for long. She knew that it would soon start again. She didn't know if she would be able to survive this much longer.

"TELL ME! HOW DID YOU GET INTO MY VAULT?!" the deranged witch screeched.

"We… We didn't!" Hermione gasped. "We've never been inside of your vault."

"LIAR! _CRUCIO_!"

The pain was back, only not as bad. She was slipping, her vision began to blur.

"We must call the Dark Lord. Enough with your taunting," Lucius ordered.

The pain finally ended, she could breathe, but her insides were beginning to feel like jelly. She wanted- no needed- to hold on. She couldn't die, not yet.

"HERMIONE! HERMIONE! WE HAVE TO SAVE HER!" she heard Ron yell from the cellar.

"Ron. Harry." She whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Bellatrix, either you end this or I will," Lucius's voice boomed.

Silence. More silence.

She didn't know how many seconds, or minutes, had passed. She couldn't die. Not yet. "Please," she whispered.

" _Impetus Dolor!"_

" _Doloris et Mortis!"_

She felt no more pain, surely, she was dead, there was no other explanation. She felt cold and wet, but there was no more pain. Finally, she sighed, and let the darkness take her.

0o0o0

She heard buzzing and could tell that she was no longer wet and cold. But that buzzing was driving her mad.

Her first mistake was opening her eyes. The bright light nearly blinded her, and she groaned in pain. Maybe death wasn't as peaceful as she had once believed.

"I can assure you that you are very much alive and that death is peaceful. No need to open your eyes just yet, or move. Don't move," someone told her.

"That voice, where do I know that voice from? And how did he know what I was thinking?" Hermione thought.

"Well Miss Granger, I knew what you were thinking because I am a very skilled Legilimens, and when you were brought to us, I took it upon myself to figure out who you are. And from what I've encountered, you are a skilled Occulmens. You blocked many of my attempts while you were unconscious. Here, let me help you get more comfortable," the man finished as he reached into his pocket.

Hermione heard two clicks.

"Alright, Miss Granger, you can open your eyes."

Hermione gasped. "Professor Dumbledore? How—I mean… I don't understand. What's going on? Where am I?"

"From what I've gathered, you've taken an unfortunate tumble through time. Your last waking memory was sometime in late March of 1998. Today's date is the 28th of August 1978. As to how you got here, my dear, I am afraid that I could not find that answer. Now that you're awake, I would ask you if you would allow me to enter your mind once again. Not right now of course, once you're feeling better, and once Madam Pomfrey has cleared you." Dumbledore stated. "And as for where you are, you are in one of our safe houses."

Hermione's head was reeling. 1978? That can't be possible.

"Sir, I can't be in 1978. That's impossible. Awful things happen to those who meddle with time, Sir. I must get back to Harry and Ron. They need me. I can't stay here. I'm sorry, Professor." Hermione rambled as she tried to push herself off the bed that she had been lying on. Her muscles protested, and she was only able to push herself up into a sitting position before her muscles gave out and she found herself on her back once again.

"Miss Granger, I will do everything in my power to find you a way home, but I must insist that you rest for now. You've been in our care for many days now. Your body is healing, you must give yourself time. Everything will sort itself out." Dumbledore assured her.

"Many days? Exactly how many days?" Hermione inquired.

"Today is the fourth full day that you've been here, Miss Granger. Now please, rest or I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will have my head," Dumbledore smiled as he stood.

"Professor, one more question. How did I get here? You didn't say." Hermione wished she could remember who brought her here.

Dumbledore smiled, the twinkle in his eye growing brighter. "Young Sirius Black brought you, my dear."

And with a wave goodbye, Dumbledore walked out of the room.

0o0o0

She was warm, she hadn't been this warm in months. Why was she so warm? Hermione reached her arms over her head and stretched. Her joints popped and her muscles began to loosen. She let out a loud moan as her stretch came to an end.

"I thought you'd never wake. Did you know that you snore?" a male voice said.

Hermione shrieked, she wasn't expecting anyone to be there. Turning her head towards the voice, she gasped, "Sirius?"

"The one and only," he smirked.

He was staring at her and it made her feel slightly uncomfortable. "Would you please stop staring at me? It's slightly unnerving," Hermione quipped. But he didn't, he just kept staring. And his smirk grew into a full-on smile.

"Usually, people say 'thank you' when someone else saves their life," Sirius remarked, his smile reaching his eyes. "But I can see that you're not like most people, so I'll forgive you."

"Oh, my goodness," Hermione rushed, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry. Thank you, Sirius."

"Don't mention it," he shrugged. "It's not every day you become a hero. But there is one thing you can mention." Sirius added taking note of how her cheeks blushed as he spoke. "How do you know my name?" he asked simply.

Hermione stared, what was she to say? She couldn't tell him that she knew him from the future, that wouldn't be smart. She couldn't _not_ answer him. "I… Umm..." she began.

"Oh good, you're awake. Mister Black, you were instructed to retrieve me as soon as she had awakened," a witch's voice cut Hermione off, saving her from answering Sirius. "Now, out you get. I won't have you harassing this poor girl on my watch."

"Wait!" Hermione nearly shouted. "He can stay, it's fine." She was desperate for someone to talk to, and she wanted to find out where Sirius found her.

Sirius nodded his head and settled back down into the chair next to her bed. They both watched as Madam Pomfrey tended to Hermione's wounds, careful to not let the covers slip too far. When she handed Hermione a vial of pain potion, she turned to Sirius, "Don't keep her up too late, she needs her rest." And she walked out of the room and closed the door.

They sat in silence for a moment staring at each other, waiting for the other to speak. Hermione watched as Sirius shifted in his seat, most likely feeling uncomfortable in the silence. She waited to see if he was going to say anything. He cleared his throat.

Sirius smiled at Hermione, and it made her uncomfortable. She knew what he wanted to know, but she had hoped that he would have forgotten. But it seemed that she had no such luck.

"So," he began, "are you going to tell me how you know my name?"

Hermione fiddled with a loose string on the blanket that was covering her. She needed to come up with something. And fast.

"I, ummm, well, when Professor Dumbledore was here, he mentioned that someone named Sirius Black found me, and with you being my only other visitor, I guessed," Hermione rambled. It wasn't a complete lie, Dumbledore did say a young Sirius Black had found her.

He watched her. Hermione couldn't tell if he believed her or not. There was no reason for him not to.

Thankfully, he nodded, accepting her answer.

"So, what's your name?" he inquired. He watched as she took a deep breath and fiddled with her hands. And then she smiled.

"Hermione."

"Hermione. Hermione. Mione. I like it," Sirius stated as he stood.

"No, Her – my – oh – nee. "I don't like nicknames," Hermione cringed.

Sirius ignored her, "So, Mione, you said Dumbledore came to see you?"

Hermione nodded, slightly upset that Sirius had ignored her.

"Did he say anything else? Other than that I brought you here?" Sirius asked slightly impatient.

Hermione shrugged, "No, not really. Where did you find me before you brought me here?"

"My mates and I were out for a pint, and as we were leaving the pub, we saw a flash of bright blue light come from the alley in front of us. When we got to the alley, we didn't see anything, but I noticed you in a puddle on the ground, and we brought you straight here. The others went home, but I stayed here with you. Figured you'd want someone around when you woke up," Sirius recounted, his face flittering through multiple emotions as he spoke.

"Thank you," Hermione replied after a minute.

"My pleasure," Sirius smirked. "It's getting late and Madam Pomfrey wants you to get some rest. It was nice talking to you. Would it be alright if I visited you again? I'm sure it'll be boring being here by yourself, especially when school starts in a few days." He looked at her hopefully, waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks again for bringing me here, Sirius," she said.

Sirius smiled and left the room.

Hermione plopped back against her pillow and groaned. She needed to get back to 1998. Soon.

0o0o0 Aug 29th 0o0o0

The day after she talked to Sirius, he came back to visit her like he asked. They talked for hours and Hermione was even able to get herself out of the bed. She didn't get very far though. The aftershocks of the Cruciatus Curse still plagued her body. Her muscles would tense and lock up for minutes at a time. She could only hope that one day, her body would heal completely. If an aftershock occurred while Sirius was there, he would massage her legs or arms, whichever was closer to him, trying to help her body to relax. Sirius stayed with her as much as he could. He would tell her about his friends, James, Remus, Peter, and Lily, and their adventures while they attended Hogwarts. Hermione would listen intently, laughing at his many misadventures. They had fun together, listening and talking to each other.

Nights were the worst for Hermione. Between still healing from the Cruciatus Curse and being in a different time, her sleep was haunted by nightmares. She dreamt about Harry and Ron and their time at Hogwarts and the nights they spent on the run. But those dreams didn't last long. Often, she would dream of Bellatrix, Lucius, and Horcruxes. Each Horcrux they'd found before she was sent back haunted her dreams because since she had been sent back in time she knew that they were still out there. She knew that she either had to get back to her time to finish finding Voldemort's Horcruxes, or she had to find them now and stop him from rising to power.

0o0o0Aug 30th 0o0o0

Hermione had woken up from her torture-induced coma 5 days ago, and she was beginning to go stir-crazy. She didn't have many visitors since the new term at Hogwarts was starting soon, and Madam Pomfrey had to make sure the infirmary was ready for the students. Sirius still came by, but she wished she could go with him when he left.

"Miss Granger, I would prefer it if you stayed in the house. At least until we figure out how and if we can send you back," Dumbledore reasoned, his half-moon spectacles sitting atop his nose. Dumbledore had paid Hermione a visit that morning.

Hermione sighed, "Sir, I can't stay here any longer. I've reached my wits end. Just, let me go to Diagon Alley, just for some fresh air and a change of scenery," Hermione pleaded. She had been locked in the house essentially, the Floo had been disabled, and since she didn't have a wand, she wasn't able to Apparate.

"Miss Granger, I assure you that within a few days' time you will be able to leave the house," Dumbledore began. "I have been in touch with a dear friend of mine who knows a great deal about time traveling, and he will respond to my questions soon. With the memories from your torture, I'm sure he will have nothing but good news for us."

Hermione scoffed, and folded her arms, but continued to listen.

"If it is found that you can go back," Dumbledore continued, "then you mustn't be seen. We've already taken a risk with Mister Black spending so much time with you. I want to be sure that if you are to return to your time, that nothing has changed. However, if it is found that you cannot return, I do not see any reason as to why you need to stay in this house. But we must wait until we know for sure, for everyone's sake."

Hermione knew he was right, Awful things happen to those who meddle with time. "Fine, may I at least have some more books?"

"Of course, I'll send some over later today. Now, I must be off. Start of the new term is only a few days away," Dumbledore said a little too brightly for Hermione's liking.

Since Hermione knew the books wouldn't arrive for a couple of hours, she decided to take a nap.

0o0o0

Hermione woke with a start. Looking around, she realized that she had slept the day away, the sun was setting. She hadn't meant to sleep that long. Stretching, Hermione rolled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen.

Rounding the corner into the kitchen, Hermione stopped in her tracks. Sirius had come to see her, but he wasn't alone this time.

"Mione," he began.

"Not Mione," she grumbled.

"Mione, I'd like you to meet Lily. She's my best mate's girlfriend," he said introducing the witch next to him.

"Hi, how are you? I've heard so much about you. It's nice to finally meet you," Lily said reaching to bring Hermione into a tight hug.

"Nice to meet you, too," Hermione said awkwardly hugging the witch back. "I wish Sirius had told me that he was bringing you, I would have cooked something. How long have you been here?"

"About ten minutes. Lily here didn't want to wake you when we got here, so we were going to start cooking and hope that you would join us soon," Sirius said as he opened cupboards and drawers.

Hermione looked over at the smiling witch. She'd seen pictures of her multiple times, but they didn't do her justice. She was taller than Hermione, and her infamous red hair reached the middle of her back. Her light brown skin made her hair stand out even more. And her green eyes – Harry's eyes – were as strikingly beautiful as Harry's had been. Hermione smiled, since there was a chance that she would be stuck here, she may as well make the best of it.

"I hope you don't mind me being here. Sirius would not stop talking about you, so I wanted to come meet you. And make sure that you were real," Lily laughed as she began helping Sirius.

"I don't mind at all, it's nice meeting new people. Being stuck in this house all day is no fun at all," Hermione pouted. She knew she shouldn't let Lily stay, but she couldn't be rude and throw her out now. And plus, the witch brought her food!

"Well, now that we're all acquainted, let's start cooking!" Sirius exclaimed.

And so, they began. The three quickly found a flow; Hermione chopped the vegetables and peppers, Lily diced the chicken, and Sirius watched. It's not that he didn't know how to cook because he did. He just made a better taste tester for this dish. The trio talked and laughed the entire time. Sirius once again recounting his adventures from Hogwarts, but this time included many interjections from Lily and Hermione learned the full story about how things happened instead of the Sirius version.

"Lily, do you remember the time Prongs proposed to you in the middle of the Great Hall?" Sirius asked before shoveling a forkful of food into his mouth.

"Which time?" Lily snorted.

"The time you hexed his hair an unattractive shade of green and refused to give him the counter curse for a week?" Sirius laughed. "And every time he would try to change it himself, it would turn brighter?"

"I do remember that," Lily snorted. "I also remember that you took pictures. We should send one to the Daily Prophet, maybe he'll make the front page."

"We had some good times, Mione. You would have loved it," Sirius said.

Hermione smiled, she was sure she would have loved it. Not having to worry about a deranged wizard trying to kill your best friend every year.

"Where's James?" Hermione inquired.

"He's hanging out with Remus," Sirius supplied as he finished up his food. "Didn't want to bring the whole gang over. I've been told that we can be a bit overwhelming to some."

"That's an understatement," Lily snorted.

Hermione frowned, "I don't think I should meet anyone else for a while. I'm still not feeling my best."

"I completely understand Hermione, there's no rush to meet the rest of the boy's," Lily reassured her. "When you're ready, we'll bring them over."

Hermione smiled and nodded, happy at the possibility of meeting Harry's father.

0o0o0 Sept 2nd 0o0o0

It had been three days since Sirius had brought Lily over and Hermione missed them. Before they had left, Hermione pulled Sirius aside and told him that she thought it would be best if he didn't come around anymore at least until she heard from Dumbledore. The look on his face when she told him that nearly broke her heart, but she knew that it had to be done. There was a possibility that she would be going back to her time, and she didn't want to get attached to anyone in the past.

Hermione closed the book she was reading and looked around the room. The room held a large bookcase, that covered the entire wall, and stretched from the floor to the ceiling. There was a lovely overstuffed chaise lounge right under the window, where she usually snuggled up with a book. The natural light that came through the window was always enough during the day, and she only had to read by candlelight during the night. The tan colored carpet was the softest that she had ever felt. She could walk around barefoot and be comfortable. With each step, it seemed as if her feet would sink into the carpet. Other than the chaise lounge, there were two other chairs and a small table.

She'd been in 1978 for two weeks now, and she had yet to finish exploring the house she was in. There were more rooms than she originally thought and she was going to explore them all.

Leaving the study, Hermione walked into one of the rooms that she hadn't been to. Upon opening the door, Hermione froze. It was another bedroom, and twice as large as the one she was currently sleeping in. The canopy bed was situated in the middle of the wall to her left, there was a bay window that faced the backyard. In the corner between the bed and bay window was a freestanding floor mirror. At the foot of the bed was a bench that looked as soft as the chaise in the other room. The dresser was made of wood and was stained a dark brown to match the rest of the wooden furniture. On both sides of the dresser were two doors. Stepping further into the room and opening the door closest to her, Hermione realized that she had found the closet. A walk-in closet. Along the sides of the closet were four racks, two on each side, where shirts could be hung, and along the back of the closet was a rack where pants and dresses could be hung. Along the baseboard of the entire closet and on top of the racks was cubbyholes, clearly for shoes.

Hermione left the closet and opened the door on the other side of the closet where she found the bathroom. She had never seen a bathroom so large. She noticed that there was a claw-foot tub that seemed to be twice as large as a regular claw-foot tub. She could imagine herself in that tub. The counter stretched along the wall by the door holding two sinks, and she noticed that there was another freestanding floor mirror. Hermione walked up to the mirror and gave herself a look. She hadn't really looked at herself in what felt like months, and she figured that now was as good of a time as ever.

Looking at herself, Hermione noticed just how different she looked. Comparing herself from how she remembered looking before the horcrux hunt to now, Hermione picked up on many differences. Though her light brown skin and dark brown hair was the same, her eyes were different, sunken a bit. The brown in them was no longer shiny, but now dull. She could see her collar bones sticking out underneath her shirt, something that she was never able to see. Not that she was overweight before, because she wasn't, she had more of an athletic build and that's what she was used to seeing. She lifted her shirt and noted that she could slightly see her ribcage and quickly let it her shirt fall again. It was time for a change and for her to start taking better care of herself.

Without a second thought, Hermione turned and began rummaging through the drawers in the bathroom. Coming up short, she exited the bathroom and then the room and ran into the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, she began rummaging through those drawers, and after a few minutes, she found what she was looking for. Scissors. Making sure she was holding the scissors the correct way, Hermione quickly walked back to the newly found bathroom. Once in front of the mirror, Hermione took one last look at her waist-length brown curls, grabbed a fistful, and cut just above her shoulders. She continued to cut until all her hair was above her shoulders. As soon as the last fistful was cut, Hermione felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders.

"Change is good," Hermione murmured, taking a closer look at herself. She rather liked her hair short.

"Indeed, it is, Miss Granger."

Hermione jumped. "Oh, Professor. I wasn't expecting you." She said, clutching her chest. "What brings you around? Have you heard from your friend?"

She was hopeful, but there was a nagging feeling inside of her reminding her that there's a chance that she won't be able to go back.

"I have heard back from him, but if I may. Would you mind joining me in the library down the hall? I find that with my old age I need to sit more," Dumbledore chuckled.

"Of course," Hermione said as she followed the elder wizard into the library where they both took a seat in the chairs around the table.

Hermione waited for Dumbledore to speak, that nagging feeling returning and getting stronger by the second. A couple of moments passed before Dumbledore began to speak.

"Miss Granger, how familiar are you with time travel?" he asked.

"Very. In my third year, I used a time turner to help me take extra classes. I also used it to help save Siri… a friend during that year also," Hermione corrected herself. "Why do you ask?"

"So, you know that to travel through time, you need to have an object that can manipulate time," Dumbledore said, and continued after Hermione had nodded her head. "Miss Granger, I'm afraid that what caused you to travel back in time was the two curses you were hit with while you were being tortured. According to my friend, the combination of the two curses and your weakened state at the time, is what brought you back. And since there was no object that brought you back, I'm afraid that there is no way to send you back."

Hermione's heart sank into the bottom of her stomach. She couldn't go home, well not that she had a home to go to. Her parents didn't remember her, as they were in Australia. Harry and Ron would miss her, hopefully, Harry would win the war soon.

"Sir, what happened to my…" past? Future? Hermione couldn't find the right word to use.

Dumbledore understood, "We believe that your old timeline continued and that you created another timeline the moment you were sent back. There is no guarantee that this theory is true, but we strongly believe that is what happened in your case."

Hermione bowed her head, "So what am I to do? I can't just sit here and let history repeat itself."

"I understand. That is why I hoped that you would become a member of the Order of the Phoenix. With what you know, we can be sure to win this war for good. I have called for a meeting for tomorrow night, should you accept, I would like to introduce you to the rest of the members," Dumbledore stated.

"Of course. Umm, sir? Since I'll be staying… I don't have a wand and…" Hermione began before Dumbledore cut her off.

"No worries, Miss Granger," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small change purse and handed it to her.

"I can't accept this, professor," Hermione put her hands up by her chest.

"Yes, you can, and you will. Think of it as a gift to get you started on your new life. You need a wand, and maybe some new clothes," he said as he placed the purse on the table. "I wonder if Miss Evans would like to go shopping with you. I believe Sirius brought her over the other day?"

"Yes, but how did you know that?"

"Miss, Granger, I am aware of anyone that comes into this house," he said, his eyes twinkling.

Hermione smiled, of course he would have some sort of security in place. "Thank you, Sir. I really appreciate it."

Dumbledore smiled, "Now, the meeting will begin at 7 pm tomorrow night. Please be sure to owl Miss Evans. I'm sure she will be delighted to go shopping with you."

Hermione beamed, she couldn't wait to see Lily. She wanted to get to know her better, and James, and Remus, and even Sirius. Maybe staying in this time, she could save Peter and keep Sirius from going to Azkaban. Maybe she could do a lot of good. For the first time in weeks, Hermione felt hope.

* * *

Hello everyone! Here's my new story. The plunny came to me in January 2017, and I started writing it in July. I've been working on it on and off since then, and it's coming along just nicely. Posting won't be regular, I'll tell you that now. My plan is to post a chapter as I write a chapter. I have 5 chapters written so far, so when I write chapter 6, I'll post chapter 2 and so on. I'm not planning for it to be more than 20 chapters, 25 at the most.


	2. 2 Shopping, Makeups, and Meetings

Disclaimer: I'm not making any money from this story. Anything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling, not me.

Thanks: A great big thank you to my wonderful Alpha, Ashley, and my Beta, Rachael!

* * *

(Sept 2nd still)

Hermione was nervous. She'd never been this nervous before, well, maybe when they went on the run to look for Horcruxes, but this was a different type of nervous. When she went on the run, she had Harry and Ron there with her. Now, she had no one. She was in a completely different time, and the only person she really knew was Sirius, and he was completely different from the man that had fallen behind the veil.

She'd taken Dumbledore's advice and owled Lily and they spent all day shopping together. This was something that Hermione wasn't used to, having a girlfriend. Sure, she was friends with Ginny back in her old time, but they hadn't really gotten the chance to get to know each other well enough since Hermione was always helping Harry, or Ginny was being possessed by an evil wizard. Hermione looked forward to getting to know Lily in this time.

They made a lot of small talk at the beginning of the trip, Lily asking Hermione more questions about her school in America, her friends, and her family. As the day went on, their topics of discussion branched out. Lily told Hermione about how she had been Head Girl, Hermione told Lily about how she once dated a professional Quidditch player.

Their first stop was to get Hermione a wand. Since she had already been through this process before, she knew what to expect. She wasn't there as long as she thought she would be. It seemed as if Dumbledore had already contacted Ollivander letting him know that she would be arriving. She let him know of her previous wand, a 10 ¾", vine wood, dragon heartstring, and she hoped that she would have something similar, if not, the same wand.

It seemed that luck was on her side because the first wand Ollivander brought to her, an 11" Cedar, dragon heartstring, felt and handled like her original wand. She smiled brightly, clutching the wand to her chest. Even though it wasn't her original, she felt whole again. She would do everything in her power to keep this one.

Shopping with Lily was great, knowing that she was Muggle-born helped Hermione connect with her better. Not only did they shop in Diagon Alley, they ventured into the muggle world. Hermione had always favored Muggle fashion over wizarding fashion, even in her old timeline. The robes in the wizarding world were always too heavy for everyday wear, Hermione felt, so she mainly bought jeans and t-shirts.

Hermione and Lily had worked up quite the appetite shopping for clothes, so they stopped for a quick bite to eat.

"How long have you and James been dating?" Hermione asked after she had finished ordering her food.

"A little over a year," the redhead answered. "It's funny. When we first met, he told me that he loved me. I thought he was crazy because I had just met him, but he told me that he loved me and that I would be his girlfriend someday. I didn't believe him, of course. And he made it his life's mission to get me to date him. He would ask me out almost daily, I hated it. But towards the middle of our 6th year, he started to change. He didn't ask me out as much, he didn't embarrass me anymore, and we started to become friends. In the end, he was right. I wish I had the chance to get to know him while we were growing up. There's so much that I don't know about him. I know that's more than what you asked for, but he's truly amazing. I can't wait for you to meet him."

Hermione smiled, she hoped that with her staying in this timeline, she could stop a lot of unnecessary deaths.

They fell into an easy chat after that. They talked about Hermione's parents and her school in America. Hermione talked about Harry and Ron and how much she missed them but didn't tell Lily anymore about them.

When they finished eating, it was nearly 6 pm, and Hermione had begun to get tired. She was still recovering, and even though the aftershocks had lessened in their frequency, they still happened a couple of times every day. Hermione realized that when she spent a lot of time walking around or standing, that's when the aftershocks would happen, and since she had been on her feet since Dumbledore had left that morning, she knew that she should get back to get some rest.

"Lily, I hate to cut this day short, but I think it's time for me to head back home. I really need to rest for a bit. We should do this again soon," Hermione said as she stood to collect her bags.

"I agree, it's nice hanging out with another woman. I love the boys, but they can be overwhelming sometimes. Well, most times," Lily chuckled as she stood next to Hermione. The duo began their walk back to the Leaky Cauldron with their bags. "Thank you for inviting me out today, Hermione. It's been great getting to know you."

"No problem, Lily. It looks like I'm going to be staying here for a while, and I figured that I should make some friends while I'm here. Who knows, I might not ever go home," Hermione said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I'm here, Sirius too. And I'm sure James, Remus, and Peter will say the same once they meet you." Lily stated as they reached the Floo. "Owl me later, yeah? I had fun today." Lily grabbed a handful of Floo powder and vanished in a flurry of green flames.

Hermione smiled and followed Lily's lead.

As soon as Hermione had stepped through the Floo, her muscles began to tremor. She thought she would be able to make it to her bed and have a quick nap, but she could only make it to the chaise lounge in the library. After a few minutes of laying on the chaise, and nothing happening, Hermione thought the worst was over. Sitting up, Hermione began to feel her body begin to slowly lock up. She hated this feeling. She usually had someone there with her, but since she told Sirius to not visit anymore, she knew she would have to suffer this alone. Bracing herself, Hermione closed her eyes and began some breathing exercises she had read about.

Breathe in, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Hold, 2, 3, 4. Out, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. She repeated the mantra over and over, breathing in deeply, holding, and exhaling. After a few minutes, her muscles began to relax, but she kept up her breathing exercises. She thought back to a time where her life was simple, before the time traveling, before the Horcrux hunt. She would have traded anything to be with Harry and Ron again. Hermione focused on her breathing, and soon, sleep claimed her.

"You know, you should really try sleeping in a bed," a voice said.

When Hermione opened her eyes, she was met with startling grey ones peering down at her. The owner of those eyes was smirking at her. "How long have you been asleep?" Sirius asked, not waiting for her to answer, he sat on the end of the chaise.

Hermione glanced at the clock, "A little over an hour. I hadn't realized how tired I was."

Sirius nodded, "Did you have fun with Lily today?"

"I did, it was nice to finally get out," Hermione said as she started to sit up. "Sirius, I'm sorry for the other day. I thought that it would be best if you stayed away. I wasn't sure how long I was going to be staying here, but seeing that I will be staying here, I think it's safe to say that we can be friends, only if that's what you want." Hermione hoped he would agree, she really wanted to save him.

He smiled at her, "It's okay, Mione. I know you were only thinking about getting better. I shouldn't have overwhelmed you like that."

"I need to start taking better care of myself, and that includes letting my friends know when I need space and letting them help me when I need it. You've been amazing these last couple of weeks, and I can't thank you enough," Hermione said with a smile.

"Do you mind if I hang out here for a bit?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"No, I don't mind," Hermione said as she curled up with her book. "Sirius, why did you come over here?"

"I actually wanted to apologize for not letting you know that I was bringing Lily with me the other day. I really wanted you to meet her, and I forgot that you were still healing. I won't forget again, though," he said as he snuggled up next to her on the lounge. Hermione shifted so that she was laying on his chest. "Do you mind reading out loud?" Sirius asked as he placed an arm around Hermione's body. "I've always loved listening to others read."

So, she began to read to him. Her head on his chest, and his arm around her waist.

Sirius and Hermione had fallen asleep on the chaise so when they woke the next morning, Sirius decided to spend the day with Hermione since the meeting was that night. They spent the entire day exploring the house that Hermione had been staying in. By nightfall, they found that the house had 7 bedrooms, all of them with their own bathrooms, 2 libraries, including the one that Hermione spent her time in, a basement (Hermione didn't spend much time down there), and an attic. They'd been having so much fun that they didn't realize that they hadn't eaten all day.

All too soon, members of the Order began to arrive. The first was Dumbledore, who came to see if Hermione was ready for the meeting. When he entered the house, he found Hermione and Sirius in the kitchen looking for something to eat.

"Mr. Black, would you mind letting everyone know that I will return soon? I wish to have a word with Miss Granger." Dumbledore said before asking Hermione to follow him.

"Miss Granger, I feel that it is time to begin working on a plan to defeat Voldemort. With what you know from your time, I'm sure we can stop him. There are a few members of the Order that I would like for you to meet with and talk to. They will be able to help us greatly with this task. They have agreed to stay after the meeting to learn more about how we can stop Voldemort." Dumbledore said as they entered the room.

Hermione nodded. "I would love to meet them and tell them what I know. Are you sure they will believe me? I mean, my story is very unconventional."

"We won't know unless we try, will we? But I am positive that they will believe you. Now, if you'll follow me, the meeting will be starting soon." Dumbledore said as he headed for the door.

Once the two reentered the kitchen, more members had arrived and all eyes turned to Dumbledore, and then they fell on Hermione. She smiled as Lily came and gave her a hug.

"Nice to see you again, Hermione," Lily beamed. "I'd like to introduce you to James, my boyfriend," Lily said as she pulled the Harry look-alike next to her.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat, she hadn't realized how much she missed Harry until she saw James. Hermione smiled, "It's nice to meet you, James, I've heard a lot about you."

"Same, Lily's told me all about you, of course," James said as he reached his hand out towards Hermione. Hermione took it and smiled. "You know Sirius already, but I'd like to introduce you to my other best mates Remus and Peter." He said indicating the two wizards behind him.

"Nice to meet you," Hermione said as she reached for Remus's hand. The wizard before her looked exactly like the Remus she knew before, only healthier and younger.

"Pleasure," Remus smiled as he kissed her hand.

Hermione turned to Peter, he was nothing like the man she remembered from her third year. The man in front of her was short and skinny and didn't remind her of a mouse. His hair was a dark brown but not as dark as hers. He was about a head taller than Hermione but still shorter than James, Remus, and Sirius. Reminding herself that this man had not betrayed Lily and James, yet, Hermione stuck her hand out in greeting. Peter accepted it with a smile, and Hermione tried to keep her face neutral.

"It is now 7 pm, let us start the meeting. The date is Sunday the 3rd of September 1978. Today we will be going over mission reports and welcoming a new member. I see some of you brought refreshments, we will enjoy those once the meeting is over." Dumbledore stated as he called the meeting to order,

"There's nothing to report on my end," a tall dark skinned man replied. Hermione knew this man to be Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Though, I would like to announce that we need new Aurors. We need new talent in our ranks," Kingsley stated, glancing towards James, Remus, and Sirius.

"Thank you, Kingsley," Dumbledore said nodding towards the man. "Would anyone like to offer any other reports?"

No one spoke. "Very well. I'd like to introduce to you the newest member of the Order of the Phoenix, Miss Hermione Granger. Hermione comes to us from America. Hermione, would you like to introduce yourself?" Dumbledore asked as he made to sit down.

"I believe you've said everything, sir," Hermione stated. She hated speaking in front of people, especially people she didn't really know.

"Very well, meeting adjourned," Dumbledore said clapping his hands together. "Now, will everyone join us in our refreshments."

Hermione stood to follow everyone out of the room.

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore called. "Once everyone has left, I would like for you to share your story with a few members. I believe cluing them in on everything about you will only help us with our mission."

"Of course, Sir," Hermione said, and the two made their way towards the other room.

o0o0o

Thirty minutes later found Hermione sat in a room with three wizards; Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Albus Dumbledore. Hermione began to wring her hands. She had just finished telling them her story, the amended version, and now she was waiting to see what they would say.

"Bullocks," Moody grouched. "I don't believe it one bit." He said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You expect me to believe that this little girl traveled through time, and is willing to put herself in danger?"

"I know it seems far-fetched, Alastor, but you should at least hear her out," Kingsley interjected.

"It does sound unbelievable, I wouldn't believe it if it was someone else. But I am telling the truth. I've seen far too many wizards and witches die in my lifetime, and I want to prevent that from happening. Too many of my friends were killed, and I want to make sure that doesn't happen. I know how to stop Voldemort, and I'd rather stop him now before he gets any stronger." Hermione said, she knew Moody would be the toughest one to convince, she had been preparing herself for that.

Moody grunted but didn't say anything else.

"Miss Granger, if I may," Dumbledore interjected. "Miss Granger was brought here two weeks ago, by our own Sirius Black. He and his friends found her beaten and bloodied in an alleyway. When she was brought here, I was immediately notified and when I arrived I attempted to perform Legilimens. Even in her weakened state, Miss Granger blocked my attempts to uncover certain things. I was only able to uncover her name, where, well in her case when, she was from, and a few other things. I believe Miss Granger when she says that she has a plan to defeat Voldemort. If we work together, we can bring this war to an end."

Moody and Kingsley stared at him.

"She can't be an Auror," Moody grunted.

"And why not? I'm qualified enough to be an Auror!" Hermione fumed.

"I believe Alastor has a point, Miss Granger," Dumbledore began. "We can't risk you being captured, or killed. You are very valuable to us. Don't worry, we will find something for you."

Kingsley stood, "Hermione, we will find a place for you, but tonight is not the night to do so. It has been a long night, and I dare say that we should end this meeting. Albus, Alastor, Goodnight."

Hermione huffed, she was more than qualified to be an Auror. She had the skill and the knowledge to bring Voldemort down, but she knew they were right. Now that she was a part of this time, she had to do everything in her power to bring Voldemort down.

"I'm going to head to bed. Goodnight, Sir," Hermione said as she began to leave the room. "Goodnight, Auror Moody."

o0o0o

(Sept 15, 1978)

Almost two weeks had passed since the order meeting, and Hermione was beginning to feel restless again. In the days that followed the meeting, Sirius and James had decided to become Aurors. It had been life-long dreams for them, so Hermione was all too happy to see them achieve it. with Sirius and James away at Auror training, Hermione found herself spending a lot of time with Lily, and Remus when he was not at work. Peter didn't spend much time with them without James and Sirius, and Hermione was slightly glad about that. She didn't want to spend any time with him before she could come up with a plan that would save him.

Hermione had kept her promise to take better care of herself, and she was beginning to look and feel like her old self. She found it easy to do when she surrounded herself with her new friends, but as soon as she was alone, she could feel herself slipping back to her old habits.

Hermione and Sirius had grown even closer to each other since the Order meeting. He'd often head over to see her right after Auror training and they would spend time either reading or cooking with each other. On the nights where Hermione would read to him, they would often fall asleep curled up together on the chaise, and Sirius would have to leave for training from there. Those nights were the best for Hermione, she would actually sleep through the night. but in the nights where Sirius elected to spend at his flat, Hermione had a difficult time staying asleep. Some nights she wouldn't fall asleep until the sun began to creep through the windows. And when she did, her dreams were full of horrors. She would relive Bellatrix torturing her over and over, Bill and Fleur's wedding, Harry and Ron's screams as she was being tortured echoed through her dreams.

Hermione knew that she should tell someone about her nightmares before they got the best of her, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She'd spent so much of her life being strong for those around her, that she couldn't bring herself to ask for help. Hermione made herself comfortable on the chaise with a blank notebook and pen that she'd found. Horcruxes and Where to Find Them. She smirked at the title thinking about her old school book. She only knew of three Horcruxes and made a list of them,

1\. Slytherin's Locket- Cave

2\. Riddle's Diary- with Voldemort?

3\. Peverell's Ring- with Voldemort?

She also knew that Regulus was going to die trying to destroy the locket. She had to find a way to beat him to it. Hermione wrote his name off to the side and circled it. She stared at the page for a few more seconds before she closed the book and placed a locking spell on it.

Hermione stretched, she hadn't realized how long she had been sitting in that one place and walked to the kitchen to make her something to eat. Upon opening the refrigerator, Hermione frowned. She was almost out of groceries, which meant she would need to go to the store soon. Hermione made a sandwich and ate it before heading back to the library. Not being able to stand being alone anymore, she decided to head over to Lily's. Hermione grabbed a handful of Floo powder, tossed it, called out Evan's Cottage, and stuck her head in the green flames.

"LILY!" Hermione called. "Lily!" she called again after a few seconds.

"Coming!" she heard.

Hermione laughed, knowing Lily, she was probably watching the telly.

"Hermione! How are you? Haven't seen you in a couple of days. Come on through!" Lily beamed and stepped back so that Hermione could step through the Floo connection.

"Hey, Lily. When's James coming over?" Hermione asked.

"He's usually here by now, but he's staying over Sirius' for the next couple of days. Why? Is everything alright?" Lily asked, concern written on her face.

"Yeah, I was just wondering if I could stay here for the night. I haven't been sleeping well, and I don't want to be alone right now," Hermione answered.

Lily nodded, "Of course you can stay here. My door is always open. Are you hungry? I was just about to make me something to eat."

"I just ate a sandwich, I'm fine for now," Hermione said as she followed Lily to the kitchen.

"Nonsense," Lily shook her head. "I'll make enough for you too, don't worry. So, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much. I've been thinking about getting a job. I hate sitting in that house all day. I need to do something." Hermione answered truthfully.

"That's funny, Remus was just saying how they were looking to hire someone at his job. He works at a bookstore in Diagon Alley. I'm sure if you asked, he'd put in a good word for you." Lily answered as she began to cook.

"Great! Say, what are the boys up to? Why is James staying at Sirius' place tonight?" Hermione asked, watching Lily carefully.

Lily stiffened a bit but continued cooking, "James flooed and said Remus wasn't feeling too well when he visited him at work earlier, so I'm guessing they're taking care of him."

"Why at Sirius', though?"

"Sirius and Remus live together," Lily answered.

"Oh, that makes sense," Hermione said.

"Maybe we can go over there when Remus is feeling better. I'm sure they would love to see you," Lily assured.

"Sure," Hermione stated flatly.

They fell into a comfortable silence for a while. Hermione watched Lily cook, and when Lily finished, Hermione decided to eat with Lily. They enjoyed each other's company while they ate. When they were done, Hermione helped Lily clean up the kitchen before they both headed to bed. Lily showed Hermione to the spare bedroom and bid her goodnight before she headed towards her own room. As soon as Lily left, Hermione washed up in the connected bathroom and promptly went to sleep.

She couldn't breathe. Someone was holding her throat tight, squeezing with all their might. Her arms flailed around before she began clawing at the hand on her throat. She clawed at their arm, and she could feel her eyes beginning to prick with tears. After one last squeeze, the hand let go and Hermione woke with a start, gasping for air. She quickly got out of the bed and headed to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. There were no marks on her throat, no handprints either. Trying to calm herself, Hermione splashed some cold water on her face and on the back of her neck. She'd never dreamt about someone strangling her. She was shaken, she needed sleep, but she knew she wouldn't be able to go back now. Making her way back to the bed, Hermione tried to think about a time when she was happy.

"Harry, stop!" Hermione shrieked with laughter.

"Nope, you deserve this!" Harry laughed. He was paying her back. She had switched all of Harry's quills with WWW quills, and no matter what he wrote, the words always formed, "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, His hair is as dark as a blackboard. I wish he was mine, he's truly divine, the hero who conquered the Dark Lord." And now he was holding her under a tickling hex, lifting it every once in awhile, so that she could catch her breath before he started again.

"Harry, you've got to admit, it was pretty funny," Ron chortled.

"Was not! Do you know how confused I was? I'd spent the whole class writing notes, only to have them turn out to be that bloody poem!" Harry laughed. It was funny, but he couldn't let her know that. "Just know, that you have declared a prank war. I will get you back, Hermione!"

When Hermione woke again, she was surprised that she had fallen asleep again, and that she was starving. Pulling on the robe that hung on the door, Hermione made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen where she found Lily cooking breakfast.

"Morning," Hermione chirped.

"Morning, how'd you sleep?" Lily inquired.

Hermione was silent for a few seconds, which made Lily turn to face her once again. "Hermione?"

"I have nightmares. Not regular nightmares where you can usually fall back asleep right away. I usually can't sleep for days after my nightmares, and last night was the first time I've been able to sleep for a couple of days, and even then it wasn't for the whole night. they mainly happen when there's no one there, but I guess since I wasn't alone in the house, that's why I was able to fall back asleep," Hermione admitted. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest.

"Does Sirius know about this?" Lily asked as she came to give Hermione a hug.

"No, I haven't been able to tell him. No one but you knows." Hermione said as she let herself fall into Lily's embrace.

"Move in with me. There's no reason why you should be in that house by yourself when I have more than enough room for you here. I won't take no for an answer. And that way, neither of us will be alone," Lily offered.

"But what about when James comes? Are you sure he'll mind me being here?" Hermione wondered.

"He won't mind, trust me. Now, let's eat and then go get your stuff. I'm excited that you're moving in! it'll be great!" Lily exclaimed as she placed a plate of food in front of where Hermione sat.

* * *

AN:

Wow. Just, wow! thank you so much for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! It means so much to me, I'm so happy that you all like this story! special thanks to Roslyn Grey, ProudRavenclaw2017, Anne J Black, bbwraven, mh21, Sampdoria, rossiex, Synoir, SereniteRose, queenvampirebarbie, throughhiseyes, and Damonsprincess for reviewing!

-Marqueen


	3. 3 Jobs, Dancing, and Malfoy

Hi! Happy Friday! I hope everyone is having a great day so far!

Just a couple of things, this is one of my favorite chapters, so I really hope you all like it. I haven't posted in a while because I've hit a block (because Remus is trying to become the star of this show, but I'm not going to let him) so I've started rewriting another fic to give Remus his own light. Check it out, it's pretty good it's called Only Time Will Tell =)

Also, if you want sneak peeks and to be updated on my writing, follow me on tumblr at marqueen137 !

Third, special thanks to my Alpha and Beta! My alpha reader, Ashley, is amazing for helping me work through the kinks in this story and helping me keep everything straight. My beta reader, Rachael, is amazing! She read 4 chapters in one night and I am so grateful for her!

Lastly, I don't own anything you recognize, it belongs to JKR.

Enjoy!

* * *

(September 30, 1978)

"It's time for me to get a job," Hermione said one morning as she entered the kitchen as Lily began cooking breakfast. Since moving in with Lily, the two had fallen into a simple routine. Whoever woke up first would cook breakfast for the two witches and, more often than not, James.

Looking up from the Daily Prophet, James squinted his eyes. "Where would you work?"

"Lily, didn't you say that Remus's job needs help? And James, shouldn't you have on glasses?" Hermione replied chuckling.

"This genius here managed to break his glasses beyond repair, with Sirius and Remus last night," Lily began as she playfully shoved James. "I do remember saying that. We'll ask him when he and Sirius come. They should be here in a few minutes."

Hermione's face lit up at the mention of Sirius' name. She hadn't seen much of Sirius lately, and she was glad that she was going to see him. "Well, hopefully, Remus' job needs an extra set of hands," Hermione said with a smile.

"Why don't we all go out tonight? We haven't gotten the chance to show you a good time since you came here, and it's about time we do," James said with a smile.

"I agree," a voice sounded behind Hermione.

"Morning, Sirius! Remus!" Lily beamed. "Hungry?"

"Now Lily, when have I ever turned down food?" Sirius joked as he and Remus sat in two of the empty chairs. "I agree. We need to take Mione out and show her a good time," Sirius said chuckling when Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.

"Maybe," Hermione shrugged. She knew they meant going out to drink, and Hermione wasn't sure how she felt about that. Since she had been in the middle of fighting a war, she had never gotten the chance to go out.

"You know what, yeah. Let's do it," Hermione said. Since she wasn't going to be able to go to her own timeline, she promised herself to make the best of her life now. "By the way, Remus, is your job hiring?"

"We are, actually. You wouldn't mind being around books all day, would you?" Remus asked before he thanked Lily as she slid a plate of food in front of him.

"If there's one thing you need to know about me, Remus, it's that I love books. So no, I would not mind being around books all day," Hermione laughed.

"Great, why don't you drop by one day and I'll introduce you to the owner. I'm sure she'll hire you," Remus said between mouthfuls of his breakfast.

Hermione smiled and studied Remus for a bit. She had gotten to know him a little better during this time, and she knew that he was a loyal friend to the others. He didn't have as many scars on his face as she knew he would have when he got older, but his smile and laugh was the same. His shaggy sandy hair fell into his eyes, something she noticed about the other two marauders as well.

As if sensing her eyes on him, Remus's blue eyes snapped up and bore into hers. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds before Remus glanced over her right shoulder and then put his head down. Confused, Hermione turned to her right but didn't see anything except for Sirius, who was eating his breakfast. Dismissing this, Hermione began eating her breakfast, excited for the day's events.

After Hermione agreed to go out, Lily owled Alice, Frank, and Marlene who agreed to meet them later on.

"Oh, you'll absolutely love Frank, Alice, and Marlene. We went to school with them, and they are some of the sweetest people you'll ever meet," Lily explained as she and Hermione sat on Hermione's bed. "Frank and Alice are together, and Marlene and Remus fancy each other, but that's a story for another day. I'm so glad you decided to go out with us tonight, Hermione."

Hermione smiled, "Me too. You all have been so welcoming towards me since I've been here."

Lily studied Hermione, "I know it's not really my business, but as your friend, I think you should tell Sirius about your nightmares. I'm not saying that you should tell him right now, but I believe the sooner you tell him, the better."

Hermione sighed, "I know I need to tell him. I've been meaning to, but I don't need him to take care of me. I've been taking care of myself just fine. I rarely even have them anymore."

Lily raised her brow skeptically. "Fine. Just know that he'll listen to you and help you. Don't keep it from him too long."

Hermione frowned but nodded.

"He's very protective of you," Lily continued. "And I know he can be intense at times, but he means well."

Hermione nodded. In her short time of knowing Sirius, she could tell that he was protective of her as well and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it. Agreeing to tell Sirius about her nightmares however, effectively closed the subject. For now.

0o0o0

When Hermione heard the Floo activate later that evening, she took one last look at herself in the mirror and smiled. When she and Lily went shopping before her first Order meeting, Lily had urged her to buy her current outfit: a long sleeve, off the shoulder, black shirt, and a pair of short blue jean shorts. To top off the outfit, Hermione borrowed a pair of knee-high, black, strappy heels from Lily.

Looking in the mirror, Hermione could honestly say that she liked what she saw. She looked a lot better than she had when she first arrived in 1978, she was now moving towards a healthy weight. She couldn't see her collar bones anymore, nor could she see her ribcage. Her face was fuller, back to how it was before the Horcrux hunt, and her eyes were beginning to shine a bit more. Even though she had cut her hair, the length had grown on her. She wasn't sure that she would like it, and had thought about letting it grow out, but had decided against it.

"Hermione, this is… You look amazing!" Lily cried from the doorway. "Merlin, we need to take you out more often, right?" she finished turning to the two new women. "Oh goodness, sorry. Hermione, this is Marlene McKinnon and Alice Prewett. They both went to Hogwarts with me."

"Nice to meet you," Hermione said smiling, reaching to shake their hands.

"Nice to meet you too," Alice said grasping Hermione's hand and pulling her into a hug. "Sorry, I'm a hugger." She stated as she gave Hermione a tight squeeze.

Hermione laughed and hugged Alice back.

Once the two witches broke apart, Hermione turned to Marlene and stuck her hand out, "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Marlene beamed as she took hold of Hermione's hand and shook it. "Lily's right, you do look amazing."

"Thank you," Hermione replied genuinely happy. "You three look amazing as well."

"What's taking so bloody long?!" Sirius bellowed from the bottom of the stairs.

"Padfoot, when has yelling at a group of witches ever worked for you?" they heard James ask. "Never, so what makes you think it's going to work for you now?"

The four witches laughed and made their descent down the staircase.

"About bloody ti…" Sirius began, but his voice cut off when he saw Hermione.

"Pick your jaw up off the floor, Pads. You're beginning to drool," Remus chuckled.

Sirius closed his mouth and kept his eyes on Hermione. He let a slow smile slide onto his face when he noticed that she had been staring at him as she came down the stairs. He realized that they matched. He had on a pair of blue jeans, black motorcycle boots, a black t-shirt, and his black leather jacket that James had given him for his 17th birthday.

When she smiled at him, his world stopped. There was something about this witch that made him want to keep her safe from harm. From their talks, he knew that she had been through hell, and he wanted to make sure that she never had to return here.

Before he knew it, Hermione was standing in front of him, and her lips were moving. _Snap_ _out_ _of_ _it_ , _Padfoot_! He scolded himself.

"…because I wasn't sure if I was going to go through with coming out tonight," Hermione said smiling at Sirius.

"I'm sorry, Mione. What did you say?" Sirius asked stupidly before hearing Remus chuckle next to him.

Sirius shot him a glare which only made Remus laugh harder.

"I said, that I'm glad to see you here because I wasn't sure if I was going to go through with coming out tonight. And, please, don't call me 'Mione'. My name is Hermione. I feel as if we go through this every time we see each other Sirius," she huffed.

Her rambling only caused Sirius to smirk, "Mione, there was no doubt that you were going to come out tonight. Since you agreed this morning, nothing you could have said would have kept us from bringing you out tonight. Now, let's leave. I was promised alcohol, and a lot of it."

0o0o0

Hermione was nervous. She was entering new territory: drinking, partying, and men. Yes, Harry and Ron were men, but they were like brothers to her. The men she found herself surrounded by were definitely not her brothers. And she found that she liked that, quite a bit.

They were currently in a wizarding club, somewhere in Diagon Alley. She had already consumed three drinks, two of which were shots of Firewhiskey, which she had only taken at Sirius' request. The third was something called a Long Island Iced Tea, which by the name she didn't think it had much alcohol in it, but was she wrong. It was nothing but alcohol, with a splash of soda. She didn't feel any different after she finished the Long Island, so she pulled Lily, Marlene, and Alice out to the dance floor.

The four witches began moving to the beat of the music. Hermione wasn't too familiar with the Wizarding music from this decade, but she found herself singing along as she danced. She could feel eyes on her as she danced and sang with Lily, Marlene, and Alice. And before the witches knew it, they were surrounded by four wizards, three of whom Hermione knew.

"Hermione," Alice called, "I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Frank Longbottom."

Frank smiled and extended a hand out for Hermione to shake, "Hello, nice to meet you, Hermione."

"Nice to meet you too, Frank," Hermione replied as she shook Frank's hand.

As Hermione was dancing, a pair of hands had found their home on her hips and they pulled her against a solid chest. She continued to dance and pulled the hands on her hips across her body so that he was holding her. Hermione looked around at the rest of the group and realized that they had paired off. Lily was dancing with James, and Remus was dancing with Marlene.

Tilting her head back, Hermione met the grey eyes of Sirius Black.

"You know, Mione," he said in her ear as they moved to the music. "I didn't get the chance to tell you this before we left, but you look quite fetching in this outfit of yours."

"Why thank you, Siri," Hermione responded, noticing the smirk on Sirius's lips when she called him Siri. "May I also add that we seem to match this evening."

"Well, you know the Muggle saying, 'Great minds think alike,'" he said with a wink.

Hermione chuckled, "Though fools seldom differ," she responded.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter and pulled Hermione closer, "I've never heard that before. Do you want another drink? Something not as strong as the Long Island?" he asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Okay, wait right here," Sirius said before he left to get her another drink.

When Sirius left her, Hermione realized that she needed to use the loo. She tried to get the attention of the other three witches, but they were otherwise occupied. Hermione looked towards the bar, wondering if she should wait, but he was still making his way towards the bar. Scanning the room, Hermione located the loo which was not too far away. She could make it on her own and back and no one would even know that she had gone.

Hermione couldn't walk straight. Bloody heels, she grumbled as she stumbled towards the loo. Upon entering the loo, Hermione headed straight towards the stall to relieve herself. _Dear Merlin, I'm trashed. But I'm having one bloody hell of a good time!_ Hermione thought to herself as she giggled. _Now, I just have to get back to the others_ , she thought as she finished her business and washed her hands. Before exiting, she checked her reflection in the mirror and noticed that she had a grin plastered on her face, and continued out the door.

Making her way back to the dance floor, Hermione found her pathway blocked.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" a voice drawled.

Focusing her eyes on the figure in front of her, Hermione took a step back and gasped.

"I don't believe I've seen you before. May I ask your name?" He asked as he took a step closer to Hermione.

"You can ask, but I doubt she'll tell you," a voice growled from the other end of the small hallway. "Malfoy, it would be wise for you to step away from her. Now!"

Lucius laughed, a full belly laugh. "Black, it's nice to see you. Tell me, how's life treating the eldest son of Walburga Black?"

"Shouldn't you be home with your future wife, instead of preying on vulnerable women?" Sirius barked as he stalked closer to Lucius and Hermione.

"You need not concern yourself with my future wife. She is where she needs to be. Something that I can't say for you. Watch your back, Black." Lucius snapped before turning towards Hermione once more. "And you. I'll be seeing you soon." He promised before turning and walking past Sirius.

"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!" Sirius yelled at Hermione. She hadn't even noticed that he had moved closer to her.

"I-I had…" she stumbled, trying to get her words out.

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY WHERE YOU WERE! AND WHAT DO YOU BLOODY DO? YOU LEAVE! NOT ONLY DO YOU LEAVE, YOU DIDN'T TELL ANYONE WHERE YOU WERE GOING!" Sirius continued yelling as if Hermione hadn't even spoken.

"I tried to, but everyone else was busy!" Hermione retorted. "I can handle myself, Sirius Black! I don't need a fucking babysitter!"

"Could have fooled me! Do you even know who that was? Do you not understand that there is a war going on? Do you understand that there are wizards out here that will hurt you for fun?" Sirius yelled, pointing towards the direction Lucius Malfoy had walked in.

"I understand, better than you could ever imagine, Sirius. I can handle myself, trust me." Hermione tried to reason.

"Hermione, sober, yes. _Maybe_ you can handle yourself. But you are not sober right now! You can't even stand straight. I mean, do you even know where your wand is?"

Hermione thought for a few seconds, where was her wand? Oh, it was in the holster that was tied to her leg.

"It took you 30 seconds to remember where your wand was. That's too long, Hermione," Sirius was no longer yelling at her.

Hermione realized that he had gotten closer to her during their argument. He was now standing so close that she could see that his dilated pupils.

He placed a hand on her hip, pulling her slightly closer to him. "Hermione, you can't go off on your own, okay?" he said sighing and closing his eyes.

He waited for her answer, and when he heard none, he opened his eyes to find her looking at him curiously. "What?"

"Why do you keep calling me that?" She asked.

"Calling you what?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Hermione."

"Well, that's your name, isn't it?" he smirked.

"Yes, but you've never called me that before," she stated simply.

"Would you prefer that I called you 'Mione, then?" he asked as he pulled her even closer and placing his forehead against hers and closing his eyes.

"Yes, but-but only you can call me that," she whispered and he smiled.

"Okay, Mione. Now-"

"There you two are! We've been looking for you two for ages!" a woman's voice called from the other end of the hallway. "James, here they are!" Lily called towards James, who smirked at the pair when he made his appearance a few seconds later.

"Are we interrupting something?" James mocked.

"Bugger off, James," Sirius called as he began to pull Hermione behind him out of the hallway. Instead of heading to the dance floor, Sirius pulled Hermione towards a booth.

"Sit." He barked.

Hermione looked at him, crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow.

"Please." He ground out.

Hesitantly, she sat, and Lily sat in the seat across from her. "We'll be back. Don't go anywhere, please," Sirius said.

Hermione knew it wasn't a question. So, she sat and waited for him to return with James.

"What was that about?" Lily asked, picking up on Sirius' sharp tone towards Hermione.

"He's a bit upset right now," Hermione explained vaguely.

"Oh," Lily responded.

Hermione looked at her new friend. A new friend that has treated her like an old friend since she came to his time. If she wanted things to be different, she needed to open up more.

"We got into an argument because I went to the loo by myself. On my way back I ran into someone named Malfoy, which I'm guessing is his surname. They had words, and Sirius lost it when Malfoy left. We yelled at each other for a while, then we calmed down and that's when you found us. Nothing too bad, right?" Hermione questioned even though she knew the answer.

Lucius Malfoy was bad news in her old timeline, and she knew that he was already following Voldemort. Quite faithfully at that.

"Hermione, if Lucius Malfoy has set his sights on you, that's not good at all. No wonder Sirius flipped his lid. You need to be more careful, okay?" Lily pleaded.

Hermione nodded her assent. She saw Sirius and James heading back to the table with two drinks each. By the look on James' face, she knew that Sirius had shared the details of their argument with him, and he didn't look happy about it.

Shortly after James and Sirius had taken their seats, Remus, Marlene, Frank, and Alice joined them. Remus being the observant werewolf quickly picked up on the moods of the other two Marauders.

"What happened?" he grumbled.

"Later," Sirius stated leaving no room for questions.

"Well, you can sit here like bumps on a log, but James and I are going to go dance," Lily said as soon as she finished her drink. She pulled James with her towards the dance floor and Remus and Marlene followed them.

"We should be leaving, Alice," Hermione heard Frank say.

"I _am_ quite tired," Alice smiled. "Hermione, it was nice meeting you!" the witch said as she reached across the table to give Hermione a hug goodbye.

"Same here! And you too, Frank," Hermione returned.

Hermione smiled as she watched the couple make their way to say goodbye to Lily, James, Remus, and Marlene.

She sat in silence next to Sirius for a few more minutes before she decided that she wanted to dance some more.

Standing up, she began to make her way past Sirius who was sitting next to her pouting.

"And where do you think you're going?" he grumbled.

"I came here to dance and have fun, so that's what I'm going to do." Hermione huffed, crossing her arms.

Sirius looked at her and smirked. "You think I'm going to let you…" he began.

"Let me?!" Hermione shrieked. "I am a grown witch, and I do what I want when I want to do it. and right now, I'm going to go have fun and dance!" she yelled before she pushed past him and made her way to the dance floor.

As soon as she stepped on the floor, she began dancing with a guy that looked to be around her age. He had short black hair and bright blue eyes. They hadn't been dancing for long before he looked over her shoulder with wide eyes and turned away. Knowing that Sirius was behind her, Hermione turned around and smiled at him.

"I don't want to fight with you, Sirius. Let's have fun, okay?" she asked as she pulled his arms around her and continued to dance.

Sirius relaxed upon her touching him and he pulled her even closer and danced with her. Looking into her eyes, Sirius couldn't help but feel drawn to her. And before long, his lips were on hers, and her fingers were gripping his hair, pulling him closer as their lips met.

They kissed for what seemed to be an eternity, both giving and taking as good as the other. When they finally pulled away from each other, they were both panting. Sirius rested his forehead on hers and licked his lips.

Hermione smiled. "This is going to be fun," she stated before she leaned forward and connected her lips with Sirius' again.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please review =)


	4. 4 Bookshops, Dates, and Letters

Hiya! I was going to wait until Friday to post this, but I couldn't help myself. This chapter is kind of fluffy and I love it! So hopefully you do too. I also want to say thank you to Rachael because she is amazing! Follow me on Tumblr marqueen137 for updates and such. Thanks for reading!

* * *

(October 18th)

Hermione began working alongside Remus at the bookstore five days a week. She spent most of her time sorting through boxes of old magical books. It was a secondhand bookstore, and a majority of the books there were tattered and worn, but Hermione loved it. Working closely with Remus from this time helped Hermione see how he became the man that she knew.

"Hermione? We have a customer looking for a book titled _The 12 Ways Around the World_ by Zacharias Wimbledon. Have you seen it?" Remus called to Hermione from the front of the store.

"Yes, I do remember seeing it, but I _believe_ I shelved it already. If you give me a minute, I'll be able to find it for you," she called from the backroom.

Hermione searched the shelves, having remembered the area where she had shelved it. After searching for a few minutes, she smiled in triumph as her fingers wrapped around the book.

"I knew I remembered seeing it," Hermione began as she walked to the front of the store. "I couldn't find… Sirius? What are you doing here?"

Sirius halted his conversation with Remus, who was now watching the pair with amusement, and turned towards the brunette with a smile.

"Mione, great to see you," he began with a wink. "I stopped by to check up on my dear friend Moony, here."

"How sweet," Hermione deadpanned. "Did you have me look for this book for no reason, Remus?"

Hermione's eyes fell upon Remus who blushed as he nodded his head.

"Great," Hermione said as she pulled her wand out and sent the book back to its place on the shelf and turned on her heel. "I'm going to finish unpacking these boxes back here."

She heard Sirius chuckle as she made her way to the backroom. Once back there, she continued unpacking and sorting the books. She was a little miffed at Sirius. She'd seen him only twice since they had kissed three weeks ago, and it almost felt like he was avoiding her.

After tossing one of the books a little too hard, Hermione heard a chuckle near the doorway.

"Mione, what has that poor book done to you? You should be gentle with them," Sirius said as he took a few steps toward her.

Hermione shrugged and continued sorting the books. She saw his black motorcycle boots out of the corner of her eye and wondered if he would take her on a ride on his motorcycle one day. They were quiet for a few more minutes before Hermione decided to break the silence.

"What do you want, Sirius?" she asked as she continued to sort the books.

He remained silent.

Sighing, Hermione stopped sorting the books and looked at Sirius. _Really_ looked at him. He didn't look like the man she had grown accustomed to seeing. There were bags under his eyes, and even though he was smirking at her, there was no playfulness behind it. His hair was messier than usual, not his usual windswept look. He looked rough.

"Sirius," Hermione whispered as she stood and walked over to him. "What happened? Where have you been? Here, sit. You look exhausted."

Hermione dragged him to the seat that she had vacated, and conjured him a glass of water. "I wish I had some Pepper-Up Potion for you, Sirius. You look like you could use it." Hermione assessed. "Are you hurt? Here, let me check you for injuries." She continued as she raised her wand to begin checking him for injuries. But before she could utter a single incantation, Sirius reached out and pulled her down onto his lap.

"Mione, I'm fine. Don't worry about me," he reassured her as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Hermione turned so that her legs draped across both of Sirius', and raised her hand and caressed his cheek. "This is new," she stated as her thumb traced a thin scar on Sirius' cheek.

"Occupational hazard, I'm afraid," Sirius stated flatly as he laid his head on her shoulder.

"But you're not an Auror, yet. You're only in training," Hermione whispered, knowing that this wasn't an injury from his Auror work.

Sirius remained silent and pulled Hermione closer to him as she continued to rub his cheek.

"I thought you were avoiding me, Sirius," she whispered after a few minutes.

She felt him smile against her hand. "I'm afraid you might be stuck with me, Mione," Sirius replied before moving his head so that he could kiss her palm.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes. They could hear Remus in the front of the store helping to the few customers that came in.

"I should probably get back to work, Sirius," Hermione stated as she began to pull away from him.

"I guess," he said but not letting her go. "On one condition: you go out on a date with me tonight."

Hermione's breath hitched, "A date?"

"Yes, Mione. A date. You. Me. Dinner. Dancing. And _maybe_ you'll grace me with another kiss," Sirius smirked.

"Are you sure? You want to go out on a date with me?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, yes. I'm sure that I want to go on a date with you. Now, just accept my invitation so you can get back to work, witch." Sirius said with a chuckle.

"I-I… Yes, I would love to go on a date with you, Sirius," Hermione stuttered.

"Great," Sirius began as he gently pushed Hermione off his lap. "I'll come 'round to pick you up at 8. No need to dress up, what you have on is fine."

Hermione smiled as Sirius began to walk towards the door, "Okay, I'll be ready. Oh, and Sirius?"

"Yeah?" he answered as he turned around to look at her.

Hermione hesitated before she took the few short steps toward him, and placed a gentle kiss his lips.

"Later, Mione," he said with a smile in his voice as he turned and left.

0o0o0

A few minutes after Sirius had left the bookshop, she exited the backroom to find a smirking Remus.

"I'm glad you two finally got to talk," he said.

"Me too," Hermione admitted.

"You'll be good for him. I can tell," Remus state before turning to help a customer.

The rest of Hermione's day seemed to drag.

By closing time, Hermione was visibly bouncing with excitement. Reassuring her that he could handle closing the shop, Remus sent Hermione home to get ready for her date with Sirius.

Hermione thanked Remus before she rushed to the Floo, grabbed a handful of powder, and called out her destination.

Upon entering the small cottage that she shared with Lily, Hermione took a look at the clock on the wall.

"6:30," Hermione said slightly out of breath. "That gives me enough time to get ready."

"Enough time to get ready for what?" a voice said near her.

Hermione shrieked and turned towards the voice, "James, you scared me!" Hermione said as she placed a hand over her heart.

James chuckled, "Sorry, Mione, that wasn't my intent," he replied.

"Hermione, not Mione," she corrected.

"Sorry, _Hermione_ ," James smirked. "Now, what do you have enough time to get ready for?"

"Oh, I umm, I have a date," Hermione said, blushing.

"Oh, I see. Now, would this date be with a close friend of mine, that sometimes goes by the name of Padfoot?" James asked, smirking at the blushing girl in front of him.

At her nod, his smirk broke out into a full smile. "Lils! It's time to pay up!"

"You had a bet going?" Hermione asked, only a little bit shocked.

"Only a small one. Lily said that it would take him a week after he came back to ask you. I bet that he would ask you today," James explained with a large smile.

"He asked her today? I thought he was going to wait," Lily said as she entered the room and handed James a small stack of galleons before plopping down next to him.

"I know Sirius, Love. I knew he wouldn't be able to wait any longer," James explained as he began to rub Lily's leg.

"Well, since you know so much, do you know where he might be taking me? He said not to dress nice," Hermione asked.

"No idea, but you might want to wear some of those jeans you have because I know for a fact he's going to take you on his motorbike," Lily stated. "And wear long sleeves, because it flies as well."

Hermione smiled. "Really?"

"Don't worry, Hermione. He's a safe driver," Lily said trying to ease Hermione's worries.

Hermione nodded and looked at the clock before she said goodbye to the two and raced up the stairs to the bathroom to take a shower.

When Hermione emerged from her shower, she felt a lot calmer.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Hermione realized that she hadn't been on a date since the Yule Ball in her fourth year. She was more than happy that she didn't have to dress formally for this date with Sirius.

Magically drying her hair, she noticed that her hair had grown a couple of inches since she had first cut it all those weeks ago. It had grown from just above her shoulders to the middle of her shoulder blades. Deciding that she would take care of it after her date, Hermione quickly styled her hair and exited the bathroom wrapped in a towel, and headed to her room.

Choosing what to wear was the hardest part for Hermione. Her wardrobe had grown substantially since moving in with Lily since it seemed that Lily loved to shop. Rummaging through her closet, Hermione decided on a dark pair of jeans and a long-sleeved, dark purple shirt that Lily had bought her.

As she was getting dressed, there was a knock at her door. Quickly pulling up her pants and pulling on her shirt, Hermione opened the door to a smiling Lily.

"So, you and Sirius, huh?" Lily asked when Hermione ushered her in.

"I know, I thought he was avoiding me, but he was on assignment with the Order. I feel so silly," Hermione laughed.

"Don't worry, I can tell you really like him. And I'm guessing that you have for a while," Lily guessed.

Hermione remained silent, which confirmed Lily's guess. Lily watched as Hermione rummaged in her closet for some shoes to complete her outfit.

"Hermione, I'm really glad that we met you and I'm really glad that you're giving Sirius a chance. He's a great guy when you get to know him," Lily said smiling.

"But?" Hermione added feeling that there was more that Lily wanted to say.

"But, be careful with him, he's not your typical pure-blooded wizard. He's been through some things, some very bad things, and I would hate to see him hurt again," Lily finished as Hermione pulled on her shoes.

"You're a great friend, Lily. I would never intentionally hurt Sirius," Hermione offered. This is why she liked Lily, she wasn't overbearing like Ron and Harry, but she made sure that you knew what she was thinking and how she felt.

Accepting Hermione's promise, Lily stood and hugged her before she left the room. Hermione realized that even though she had heard many stories of the Marauders, she had heard very few stories about Lily. Lily was just as protective, if not a little more so, than people often gave her credit for.

Checking her reflection once more, Hermione smiled and checked the time. _Two minutes before he gets here_ , she thought happily.

She decided to wait in her room until he came, she didn't want to seem desperate. At exactly 8 pm, she heard the front door open and Sirius' voice call out to James.

With one last deep breath, Hermione left her room and headed down the stairs.

She spotted him before he had spotted her. He was standing with his back turned to the stairs talking to James. He had cleaned up since she had seen him last, which made her wonder if he had come to see her as soon as he had gotten back from his Order assignment. Her heart skipped a beat thinking that she was his first stop.

She was more than halfway down the stairs before he turned to look at her, and the look he gave caused her heart to skip a beat.

 _Calm down, Hermione,_ she berated herself as she tried to calm herself.

Once he laid his eyes on her, he couldn't bring himself to look away. He'd been with many witches before Hermione, but something about her was different.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Sirius felt James nudge him closer to Hermione and it took him a few seconds to collect himself before he found his voice.

"Wow," was all he could say.

"Sirius Black, everyone. A man of many words," James joked.

"Shut it, Prongs" Sirius growled briefly taking his eyes off Hermione who let out a small laugh.

"Ready to go?" she asked, eager to spend some time with him.

"After you," he said gesturing for her to walk in front of him.

"Have fun you two, and don't do anything that I wouldn't do!" James called as they walked out the door causing Hermione to laugh and shake her head.

"Sirius," Hermione began as she approached the massive motorbike, "I'm not too fond of flying. I prefer to stay on the ground."

Sirius quirked his lips as he looked at her, "Your words wound me, Mione. I can assure you, that you are safer in the air with me than you would be on the ground. And didn't you have to fly in one of those Muggle contraptions?"

"That's different," Hermione began. "There are safety precautions in place on airplanes, Sirius."

"Fine, if it'll ease your mind, we won't fly… tonight. But we will one day, and you'll love it. Now come on," he said as he pulled her closer to the motorbike. "Let's get going."

Sirius handed Hermione a black helmet before he threw one leg over the bike and turning the key. The engine roared to life and he turned his head and looked at Hermione, who was still standing a few feet away from the bike.

"Come on, love. I promise that I will keep this bike firmly on the ground tonight," Sirius called as he held his hand out towards Hermione.

Hermione stared at his hand for a few seconds, before she snapped the helmet on top of her head, and grasped Sirius' hand. Once she was settled on the motorbike, she realized that her hand was still clasped in his as he pulled it across his stomach signaling her to hold on tight. And before she knew it, Sirius revved the engine once more, and they were off.

Hermione kept her eyes closed for the beginning of the ride. She couldn't bear watching the cars and buildings as they passed them at such high speeds.

Once Hermione felt that they were slowing down, she opened her eyes and was able to focus on her surroundings. The neighborhood they were in looked familiar, she could have sworn that she'd been there before.

"Sirius?" Hermione questioned as Sirius slowed to a stop in front of a building. "Isn't this the same neighborhood that Lily lives in?"

He laughed, "Oh yeah, I never told you? Remus and I live two streets over from Lily."

Hermione was silent for a moment, and Sirius took this opportunity to climb off his bike and help Hermione off as well.

"You WHAT?" Hermione screeched as soon as she got off the bike. "You mean that we could have WALKED here?"

Sirius was laughing so hard now, that his eyes were watering. "Well," he said between laughs, "I had to get you on my bike somehow. There's something about having a pretty witch on the back of my bike that gets me going, ya know?"

Hermione was furious, "So why did it take us so long to get here? We had to have been riding for at least half an hour."

He shrugged, "I may have taken a more scenic route."

Hermione pouted and crossed her arms. "So, why are we at your house? I remember you saying dinner and dancing."

"I wanted to cook your dinner," he said as he took her hand and began to lead her to his home. "As for dancing, I have an extensive album collection."

Hermione smiled, her previous anger forgotten. "So, Remus won't mind that I'm here?" Hermione asked. Remus hadn't said anything about his plans tonight. Though she hadn't really been much for conversation after Sirius had left that afternoon.

"Remus is with our dear friend Marlene for the night. So, it's just the two of us," Sirius winked as he flicked his wand to open the front door and gesturing Hermione to enter first.

Hermione smiled upon entering. "This is your place, huh? It's nice," she said as she stepped into the room and looked around. She heard Sirius close the door as she continued to look around.

"My Uncle Alphard left it to me when he died," Sirius explained. "Here, let me give you a quick tour. This room is my favorite room because of the fireplace. The bookshelves along the wall behind you, hold all the books Remus and I have collected over the years. The kitchen is on the other side of that wall there. Down the hall here," he said as he gently led her through the house. "On the right is Remus' room, the loo's on the left. And this door here leads to my room."

They stopped in front of his door, and Hermione glanced at Sirius and smiled as she reached for the doorknob.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Ms. Granger," Sirius taunted as he covered Hermione's hand with his own and closing the door once more. "We mustn't enter rooms without permission. Now, come. It's time for dinner." Sirius said as he led Hermione back through the house and into the kitchen.

Upon entering, Sirius helped Hermione onto a stool near the counter where Sirius was going to be cooking. Once she was seated, he turned and poured Hermione a glass of elf-made wine and handed it to her before he began to cook.

They talked and laughed while he cooked. Mainly about Hermione's past and old friends. Sirius wasn't very willing to share his past, and Hermione understood why, so she didn't press the issue.

Hermione offered to help him cook, but gave up after Sirius threatened to use a sticking charm to keep her in her seat. She noticed that while Sirius refilled her glass with wine, he opted for whiskey. Not firewhisky, which she knew he liked, but regular, Muggle, whiskey.

"You're not drinking firewhisky. Why?" she questioned before taking a sip of wine.

"I'm trying to keep a clear head tonight, and I can't do that with firewhisky. It tends to affect me differently than Muggle whiskey," Sirius explained as Hermione nodded.

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments and Hermione continued to sip her wine and watch him cook.

"And dinner is served," Sirius declared as he waved his wand magically setting the table.

"Smells good," Hermione said as she waited for Sirius to join her at the table.

"Thanks," Sirius said as he set a plate down in front of Hermione.

They continued to talk as they ate their dinner. Once they finished, Sirius flicked his wand, sending the dishes to the sink to clean later. He stood and held out his hand for Hermione to take, which she did without hesitation. He led her to the front room where the fireplace was and turned on the stereo. Soft jazz filled the room and Sirius turned and faced Hermione before he pulled her to him and began swaying with her to the music.

Hermione laid her head on his chest and listened to the thumping of his heart, reveling in the feeling of his hands on her hip and at the small of her back. She smiled, tightening her arms around his waist, and sighed.

They swayed together for countless songs before Sirius broke the silence.

"I want to make my intentions clear, Hermione," Sirius whispered. He pulled her closer and placed his hand on her cheek, lifting her head so that she was looking him in the eyes. "I want you, and I want to be with you."

Hermione's breath hitched at his words and she swallowed trying to control her nerves.

"You want me?" she questioned, shocked at his admission.

"Yes, Hermione," he stated still looking into her eyes.

"Okay," she whispered seconds before he smiled and claimed her lips with his.

0o0o0

Hermione woke with a start. She was not in her bed, in fact, she wasn't in a bed at all. Hermione tried to remember where she was when she was suddenly pulled against a solid chest. _Sirius_ , she thought, _I'm with Sirius. I'm okay._

The events from their date came rushing to the forefront of her mind. He had told her that he wanted to be with her and she had agreed and he had kissed her once again. And now she was snuggled against a sleeping Sirius on his couch, in the middle of the night.

After Sirius had kissed her, he sat her next to him on the couch and tucked her underneath his arm where they watched the fire. Hermione didn't remember falling asleep, but she was grateful that Sirius had repositioned them.

Hermione turned so that she was now facing Sirius, and sighed. Even though being in this time was hard sometimes, she was glad that she came here. Meeting Sirius, James, Remus, and Lily had impacted her life, and she was going to do everything in her power to save them.

"Go back to sleep," Sirius' voice rumbled causing Hermione to smile before she closed her eyes and did just that.

0o0o0

The second time Hermione woke up, it was to whispers and the feeling that someone was watching her.

"James, quiet! They're sleeping!" a harsh voice whispered. "You don't want to wake them."

"Lils, that's exactly what I want to do," James replied loudly.

"Prongs, if you don't quiet down, I'm going to bite you," Sirius snapped.

Hermione chuckled before opening her eyes, stretching, and greeting Sirius, who was watching her with a small smirk. "Morning Sirius."

"Morning," he replied before kissing the top of her head.

"Adorable," James taunted, earning him a slap on the arm from Lily. "I guess the date was a success? When's the wedding? Have you picked out names yet?"

"James," Lily admonished. "Sorry, guys. I tried to keep him from coming over, but when he sets his mind on something, you know how he gets."

Sirius grumbled something under his breath and began to disentangle himself from Hermione.

"What do you want, Prongs?" Sirius grumbled.

"I came to escort Hermione home. Something you failed to do last night, Sirius. You should be ashamed of yourself, taking advantage of our Hermione here." James fake admonished as he pulled Hermione to her feet and walked her towards the fireplace.

"Really, James?" Sirius questioned as he stood and followed the trio towards the fireplace.

"I'm only joking, but breakfast is ready. Remus and Marlene are already at Lily's place waiting for us to come back with you two, so let's go!" James finished before stepping into the fireplace and calling out his destination.

Sirius looked at Lily, "You need to keep a leash on that boyfriend of yours, Evans."

"Leashes are for _dogs,_ Sirius. And James is no dog," Lily chuckled at Sirius' expression. "Come on, let's go eat."

Lily pulled Hermione into the Floo with her and called out their destination.

"About bloody time," James whined when they stepped out of the fireplace. "Where's Sirius?"

"I'm here, don't get your knickers in a bunch, Prongs," Sirius snapped as he stepped out of the fireplace and headed straight to the kitchen.

"Oh, Hermione, these are for you," James said motioning to two letters on the table near the front door.

Hermione quickly walked over and grabbed both letters. _Who would be writing to me?_ She thought as she opened and scanned the first letter. _Dumbledore, figures. I guess I have to meet him sooner rather than later._ She thought as she began to open the second letter. She didn't recognize the script, but a feeling of dread fell over her as she read the words on the page.

 _You should be more careful, Ms. Granger._

 _L.M._

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 _Please review!_


	5. 5 Libraries and Corridors

Hi everyone! Here's the next installment of A Tale of Time Past, hopefully you all like it. Just a heads up, it's the shortest chapter so far, but I had to end it where I did. Special thanks to my beta for being amazing at what she does!

Happy readings =)

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(Nov. 1, 1978)

Hermione had been going back and forth to meetings with Dumbledore for two weeks now. The day after she replied to his letter, he requested that she come visit him at Hogwarts. She had been excited to set foot in her old school and see her old professors once again. That was until Sirius had found out about the other letter. She'd been able to keep it from him for a couple of days, but she was careless and left it out for him to see it.

" _What do you mean three days ago?" Sirius forced out through his gritted teeth._

 _Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "I got it when Dumbledore sent me his letter. I didn't know if I should tell you about it and I can take care of myself, Sirius."_

 _Sirius sighed and sat down before closing his eyes and rubbing his eyebrows as if he were trying to keep a headache from forming._

" _Here's the thing, Hermione," Sirius began before opening his eyes and focusing on Hermione's face. "When you're in a relationship, you become part of a partnership. There's no more only taking care of yourself, we take care of each other. Lucius Malfoy is coming after you for a reason. And given how I reacted when he cornered you when we were out, I'm sure he won't give up."_

 _Hermione sighed. "Sirius, we've only been together a few days, so forgive me if I don't come running to you every time I have a problem. I've spent so much of my life taking care of myself, and others, that it's what comes naturally. You can't expect that after a couple of days-"_

" _A couple of days? We've known each other for months, we've spent all this time together and you want to reduce it to a couple of days! For fuck's sake, Hermione."_

 _Hermione watched Sirius, he had stood up from his seat and began pacing in front of her. She had never seen him so hurt, not even back in her old time. She watched him for a few more moments before she reached out to him._

" _Sirius," she whispered as she placed a hand on his arm feeling him tense at the touch. "I'm sorry, you've helped me so much in these last few months. It wasn't my intention to reduce the time we've spent together. Just please, please remember that this is new to me. I'm trying, but I'll try harder."_

 _Sirius nodded, "And I'll try not flying off the handle when I don't get what I want."_

Now she wasn't able to leave Lily's house without one of the Marauders. Sirius preferred it to be him, but he knew that James and Remus would keep her safe. She'd promised Sirius that she wouldn't leave without one of them. On the days that she worked, Remus would escort her to and from the store.

Her meetings with Dumbledore usually fell on days where she didn't have to work and more often than not, ran late. She worked by herself researching in the restricted area of the library and Dumbledore's personal library in his office. She also had the ability to roam around the castle, but she hadn't used that liberty yet.

Glancing towards the clock on the wall, Hermione noticed that it was nearing 10 am, and she was due at Hogwarts soon. Trying to keep her mind off the possibility of being late, Hermione checked her bag to make sure that she had her notes on the Horcruxes.

Upon hearing the Floo activate in the other room, Hermione shoved everything back into her bag.

"When are you going to tell me what these meetings are about?" Sirius asked as he strolled into the room.

"Hopefully soon," Hermione smiled. "You're more than welcome to stay."

She'd contemplated telling Sirius the truth about her being from the future, she had come close many times even before they had started dating, but she wasn't sure how he would have handled that news. Maybe telling him now would make things easier, she wouldn't have to lie to him anymore.

"Really?" Sirius asked raising an eyebrow. "I'll hold you to that, but I have to get back, so we should get going," Sirius said taking hold of Hermione's arm and pulling her to him and apparating away.

0o0o0

She was exhausted. She'd been in the library since Sirius had dropped her off hours ago. Casting a _Tempus_ spell, Hermione realized that she had been there for nearly 8 hours. Gathering her belongings, Hermione headed towards the exit of the library, out into the corridor, and up the staircase. Shifting her books, Hermione placed her hand on the railing just as it began to change directions.

"Great," Hermione grumbled as she bypassed the corridor she needed. Once the staircase stopped moving, Hermione moved to the next staircase placing her hand on the railing before she took the first step. Halfway up the staircase, she felt it one change. She knew that keeping one hand on the staircase would keep it from changing, but why wasn't it working now?

Stepping off the second staircase, Hermione realized that she was lost. As much time that she spent in the castle, she'd always been able to find her way around it. But for some odd reason, she was standing at the entrance of a corridor that she didn't recognize. Curiosity getting the best of her, Hermione placed the books that she was carrying into her bag and began walking.

As she passed a few doors, she tried opening them and became frustrated when they wouldn't open for her. When she reached the fifth door, Hermione hesitated. She sensed that this door was different, but her gut was telling her that she needed to open it.

Turning the knob, Hermione slowly stepped in and closed the door. Upon looking around, Hermione noticed that the room favored the library in Grimmauld Place. Taking a few more moments to compose herself, Hermione realized that she was not alone. Sitting on a large couch in front of the fireplace, were two people, the two people she missed more than anything.

"Harry? Ron?" she whispered, not believing her eyes as the two turned to face her with matching grins on their faces.

"In the flesh- well, not flesh, but yes, it's us," Harry grinned at Hermione.

"How is this possible?" Hermione questioned, still not believing her eyes.

"It's a long story," Ron chuckled. "Why don't you have a seat, and we'll tell you everything."

Hermione took a few steps closer to them, and upon feeling the warmth of the fire, she sat in front of them and waited for them to start talking. While waiting, she noticed that they looked a bit funny, a bit fuzzy around the edges and their eyes were a bit sunken.

Hermione lowered her eyes, her heart clenching. "You're dead, aren't you?"

Their silence stretched on for what seemed like hours, and she knew they wanted her to look at them. She had to look at them, and when she finally did, the tears that she had been holding back began to fall.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't save you," she said through her tears. "It wasn't meant to be this way."

"It's fine, Hermione. You've saved us countless times. We're sorry we couldn't save you. But you have the power to change everything and make sure that it doesn't happen." Harry comforted, reaching out to smooth down her hair, but failing when his hand wouldn't make contact with her.

"I don't know if I can do this without you two," Hermione hiccupped. "It's always been the three of us, ya' know?"

"And it still will be, just in a different way. When you come back, we'll be the same, but everything else will be different." Harry stated.

"Come back? Dumbledore said-"

"Dumbledore doesn't know everything, Hermione," Harry snapped.

Hermione blanched, looking at Harry and Ron waiting for an explanation.

"Sorry, but we've learned a few things since, well, since we died," Ron bit out.

Hermione said nothing, again waiting for them to continue.

"Alright," Harry began. "While we were in the cellar, Dobby managed to help us escape when we heard Bellatrix and Lucius yell out two spells we'd never heard. When we reached the room where they had taken you, we couldn't find you. We fought trying to get them to tell us where you were. We weren't able to get anything out of them before Dobby crushed Bellatrix with a chandelier and apparated us to Shell Cottage.

"We knew we had to try to end the war and find you, but we didn't know where to begin. We asked Ollivander if he'd ever heard of the spells before, but he hadn't. Griphook, on the other hand, had. He told us that _Impetus Dolor_ was another more brutal form of the _Cruciatus Curse,_ and _Doloris et Mortis_ was meant to cause pain and suffering. We're not sure what happened when those two mixed, but obviously it sent you back here. We knew we had to figure out a way to end the war and get you back. We continued following our plan to find the Horcruxes, and we were able to break into Bellatrix's vault in Gringotts. We managed to find another Horcrux, Hufflepuff's cup by the way, while we were there, and we managed to escape on the back of a bloody dragon.

"Once the dragon landed, we decided to take some time to come up with another plan. Without you, it was difficult, but we managed to find a pattern. All the Horcruxes that we know about, the diary, the ring, the locket, the cup, were all connected to Voldemort in some way. The diary belonged to him, the ring belonged to his Uncle, the locket belonged to Salazar Slytherin, and the cup belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. We believed that Voldemort was collecting items from each house, and seeing that we had the Sword of Gryffindor, we ruled that out. We had to figure out what he could have taken from Ravenclaw. We were talking about it with Bill when Luna overheard us. She had been held captive in Malfoy Manor for months before we got there. She came with us when we escaped, and was a brilliant help with everything. She told us about Ravenclaw's lost diadem, and how we could find it. The next day we went to Hogwarts.

"I did manage to find and destroy the diadem, but you should talk to the Grey Lady, or Helena Ravenclaw, and have her tell you where it is. Voldemort and the Death Eaters were waiting for us to arrive. I'm not sure how they knew we would show up there, but they did. They attacked the school, Hermione, while the students were still inside and so many people died. In the middle of the battle, we found Snape dying underneath a staircase and he shared some of his memories with me.

"Snape was in love with my mother, Hermione, and he had sworn to protect me. Snape was a spy for Dumbledore and he tried to help end Voldemort's reign. He also showed us how Dumbledore wasn't only trying to stop Voldemort. Dumbledore was trying to finish what he and Grindelwald started, but he wasn't able to succeed. When he placed Gaunt's ring on his finger, he knew he was dying and he had tasked Snape with killing him. Hermione, Dumbledore was trying to become the Master of Death. He possessed the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone. He knew that I had the Cloak of Invisibility, and I'm convinced that he was biding his time before he took it from me.

"As I watched Snape's memories, it became clear to me that Voldemort had created an accidental Horcrux. Me. The night he killed my parents, he split his soul again and it latched onto me. Dumbledore had known this, and he used the knowledge to his advantage. The prophecy was true, ' _Neither can live, while the other survives_ '.

"As for how we died, Voldemort killed me, and Ron was killed trying to destroy Nagini, as she was a Horcrux as well. It pains me to say that he won, I wasn't able to defeat him, and he won. When we died, our souls came here, and we knew that we were to wait for you to find us. It's up to you to end this, Hermione. We know you can do it, you have to do it. Destroy the Horcruxes, and you destroy the man."

Hermione sat in silence for a while after Harry concluded his tale, trying to soak up all the new information. There was a Horcrux here in Hogwarts, there was definitely one in Bellatrix's vault, and Dumbledore was not to be trusted.

"Hermione?" Ron questioned.

"You said something about me being able to go back. How?" Hermione asked.

Harry and Ron exchanged a look. "Hermione, if you go back now, I don't know if anything will have changed. That's why you must defeat Voldemort first." Harry offered.

"How do I go back?" Hermione repeated.

"I'm not sure, but I know that you can. That's something that you'll have to figure out. Know that if you defeat Voldemort first, everything will be different. Better, but different." Harry stated.

"I don't know if I can do this without you two. Will I ever see you again?" Hermione asked, eyes filling with tears once again.

"You will, in the future. Remember, we'll always be here with you." Ron whispered as he knelt in front of her and placed a hand over her heart.

Hermione smiled and nodded, wishing that she could touch them one last time.

"Hermione," Harry began. "It's time to wake up."

"I don't want to! Harry, Ron, don't leave me," Hermione begged.

"We can't stay any longer, but we'll always be with you, Hermione. Now, you have to wake up. There's someone waiting for you." Harry smirked.

"Bye Harry. Bye Ron." Hermione whispered as they faded away.

Someone was shaking her, but she didn't want to wake yet. "Not yet," she grumbled before she heard a deep chuckle and felt someone lift her. Coming out of her sleep a little more, Hermione peeked her eyes open and smiled at the man that was carrying her. "Sirius," she sighed as she snuggled closer to him, and fell back asleep.

0o0o0

Hermione wasn't sure how long she slept, but she wished she could have slept longer. She wanted to see her boys again. She wanted to figure out how she could destroy Voldemort and stop Dumbledore. She wouldn't be able to do this on her own, she knew that she would need help. Stretching, Hermione finally opened her eyes to find that she was back in Lily's house. Sighing, Hermione moved to stand but found that she was unable to lift herself up. Rolling over, she was met with the grey eyes of Sirius Black.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Morning? More like 'Good afternoon'," he joked as he brushed some of her short locks from her face.

Hermione chuckled, "Why didn't you wake me then?"

Sirius shrugged, "You're quite adorable when you're sleeping."

Hermione smiled and stared into his eyes. Placing a hand on his face, Hermione rubbed his cheek and watched as he sighed and closed his eyes. She could really see herself loving this man. He wasn't the broken man she had met in her third year, and she was going to make sure that he never became that man. And that meant that she had to be honest.

"Sirius? There's something that I have to tell you."

"Hmm?"

"I'm not from America. I'm from… I'm from the future."

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	6. 6 Confessions and Reunions

(Nov 2, 1978)

"Sirius? Did you hear me?" Hermione asked, waiting for him to respond.

"I did, but, how is that possible?"

"Magic?" Hermione offered with a nervous laugh.

Sirius cut his eyes at her, "I don't see anything funny about this, Hermione. I mean, you tell me that you're from the future, but you can't tell me how."

Hermione sighed, she knew this wasn't going to be easy. She should have planned better. Sitting up, Hermione crossed her legs in front of her and faced Sirius. He closed his eyes, causing a furrow between his brows, as he tried to piece together what Hermione had said. She decided that he needed to know everything, so she took a deep breath, and began to explain.

"Growing up I knew I was different from the other kids my age. I never actually fit in with my peers, and I never understood why. I remember once when I was nine, I was outside playing by myself when a group of girls surrounded me. I recognized them from school, and they were calling me mean names and teasing me. It was the most afraid I remember ever being up to that point in my life. I remember one girl coming towards me, fist raised, and all I could think about was getting away. I stood frozen waiting for her fist to connect with my face, but it never came. When I looked around me, the group of girls around me were frozen in place. I thought time had frozen, but it hadn't, as I could hear birds chirping and I could feel the wind on my face. The _girls_ were frozen, and I could get away. So, I did. I was afraid. I didn't understand how they had frozen, but I was glad they were. I hid in my room for the rest of the day.

"Then other things began to happen. Sweets would end up in my pockets after my parents would say that I couldn't have them. Things like that. When I turned twelve, Professor McGonagall visited my house and informed us that I was a witch. She also informed us of Hogwarts, and what that would mean for me. I was ecstatic, everything finally made sense. She explained that since I had turned 11 after the beginning of the previous term, I couldn't attend during that term. When she handed me my letter, it was like everything had fallen into place.

"The train ride to Hogwarts was magical. It was also when I met the people who were to become my best friends, though I didn't know it at the time. I had read up on everything about Hogwarts, wanting to be prepared for this new chapter of my life. When I finally got to Hogwarts, nothing had changed, I was still an outcast. I didn't know that people in the Wizarding World looked down upon Muggle-born witches and wizards. It was near Halloween of my first year before I made friends. Ron had been teasing me behind my back because I corrected him on how to say an incantation. When I heard him teasing me, I hid in the girl's bathroom crying for the rest of the day. I thought that things would be different now that I was around people like me, but it was the same. When I'd finished crying in the bathroom, I found myself face to face with a full-grown mountain troll. I was terrified, and I didn't know what to do, until Ron and his best friend, Harry, showed up. They ended up knocking the troll unconscious. Ron used the incantation that I had helped him with earlier and saved my life, and from that day on, we were best friends.

"We learned a lot about each other, though everyone knew who Harry was since he was famous in our world. When Harry was a baby, Voldemort killed his parents but failed in killing him. He became known as The Boy Who Lived, and everyone knew about him because of that, but no one actually knew him. No one knew that his aunt and uncle kept him locked in a cupboard under the stairs for the majority of his life. No one knew that they treated him more as a servant than as their nephew. Harry had a complicated life, and as his friend, I did all I could to try to keep him happy and safe. At the end of our first year, Harry once again defeated Voldemort. And we thought that was the end of it, but that was only the beginning.

"During our second year, there were attacks on Muggle-born students. We thought we knew who was behind them, but we were wrong. A follower of Voldemort had slipped a diary in with Ron's younger sister's school-books. Voldemort had left a piece of his soul inside of the diary and when Ginny opened herself up to the diary she made it easy for Voldemort to control her. We spent a large part of the year searching for answers, but unfortunately, I couldn't help much. Ginny set a basilisk loose in the school, causing many muggle-borns, including myself, to become petrified. Harry ended up killing the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets and destroying the diary that Voldemort left behind.

"In our third year, we were Voldemort free, but a crazed serial killer had broken out of Azkaban and was after Harry. It seemed as if we would never get a break and have a normal school year. To have some sort of normalcy, I bought a cat and named him Crookshanks, he was part kneazle, and he was an amazing cat. Ron had also decided to bring his family rat, that had been with them forever. During one of our Hogsmeade visits, we overheard McGonagall and the Minister of Magic talking. We heard them say that he betrayed Harry's parents, giving their location to Voldemort resulting in their death. He then killed his other friend, and 12 muggles in a fit of rage. Not only was this man the reason for his parents' death, he was also Harry's godfather. Since this murderer was loose and looking for Harry, the Ministry decided that they would protect Hogwarts by stationing Dementors around the school. We learned that dementors feed off sadness, and since Harry had a lifetime full of sadness, they affected him more than anyone. During the school year, Harry had become close with one of the professors in the school, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Harry learned that he was an old friend of his parents. He took Harry under his wing and showed Harry how to produce a corporeal Patronus to help fight off the dementors.

"One night, we went to comfort Hagrid, because his hippogriff had been sentenced to death because of a stupid mistake. Ron had lost his rat, and Hagrid had found him and returned him to Ron. After witnessing the execution, we headed back to the castle. We were greeted by a large black dog and when we tried to run, the dog lunged and dragged Ron into the Whomping Willow. Harry and I went after them, but not without a fight with the Willow. Once we entered the trunk of the tree, we had to walk through a long tunnel and then climb a set of stairs. As we climbed, Harry and I realized that we were in the Shrieking Shack, a building we were told was haunted. Upon climbing to the top of the building, we found Ron and searched for the dog. Instead of finding a dog, we found a man. He was an animagus, and he was also the crazed serial killer that had escaped from Azkaban. I tried to keep Harry safe but I was disarmed by another man, the professor that had taken Harry under his wing. Emotions were high, and I outed him as a werewolf to Harry and Ron, something I've regretted for a very long time.

"We spent a few minutes arguing back and forth until the animagus lost his cool. He began screaming about how he was going to kill him and that he'd dreamed of this day for years. Our professor tried to get him to calm down enough to tell Harry the truth, but Harry wouldn't listen to any of it. He screamed about how he knew about the animagus was the reason that his parents were dead and how he would kill him before the night was through. Our professor begged Harry to listen to reason, and thankfully Harry listened and what we heard changed everything. The two men explained that they were friends with Harry's parents, but the animagus was not responsible for their deaths. They had a fourth friend, that was also an animagus, who was the one that was responsible for their deaths. The animagus had explained how he saw the other friend in his animagus form in a picture a few months before, and that is why he escaped from Azkaban. To kill him, not Harry. When we asked for proof, we noticed that Ron had been struggling with his pet rat. Our professor and the animagus snatched the rat from Ron and struck it with a spell causing the rat to transform into a man. Everyone had believed that this man was dead for twelve years. The three men argued for some time until we were forced to vacate the shack. When we left the shack, we realized that it was now dark, and there was a full moon that night. Our professor had missed his nightly dose of a potion that helped him keep his head when he transformed into a werewolf. He tried to attack us, but he was unsuccessful, but we did lose the rat, unfortunately. Harry ran off to save the animagus from the werewolf, and the two were attacked by dementors, and they almost died. The animagus was captured once again and he was placed in the tallest tower of the castle. Harry and I used a time turner to save him and the hippogriff from their death sentences.

"In our fourth year, the Tri-Wizard tournament came to Hogwarts and we hosted 2 other schools that year. One of Voldemort's followers managed to impersonate a well-known Auror to get close to Harry. During the last event of the tournament, Harry and another competitor were portkeyed into a graveyard. In the graveyard, one of Voldemort's followers performed a ritual that needed Harry's blood to bring Voldemort back. Harry managed to get away, but not before Voldemort was resurrected.

"When we saw Harry before school started for our fifth year, he felt completely cut off and out of the loop. We weren't allowed to tell him anything and that created a rift in our friendship. He was angry with us, and we understood why, but there was nothing that we could do. I remember the first time Harry smiled that day was when he saw his godfather. But all too soon, we had to go back to Hogwarts. Since we'd never had a normal year of school, we didn't think that year would be any different. We had a new professor for Defense, and she was a horrid old toad. She wasn't teaching us anything useful in Defense, and she was abusing the students. We thought we were going to make it through the year without incident, but Harry began to have nightmares about Voldemort. And they increased in frequency as the year progressed. Harry finally found some sort of happiness when we organized the D.A. where he began teaching us defensive spells that would help us in a battle. Towards the end of the year, Harry had a particularly nasty nightmare, where he was convinced that his godfather was in trouble. We tried contacting his godfather, but we weren't able to. We ended up taking a trip to the Ministry of Magic because Harry was sure that's where his godfather was. Voldemort had realized the connection between himself and Harry. Voldemort needed Harry to retrieve a prophecy from the Ministry, and he used his connection with Harry to get him there. Upon entering the Ministry, there was a fight between us students and the Death Eaters. We had been fighting for a while when the Order of the Phoenix showed up.

"I don't know how it happened, but in the middle of the fight, Harry's godfather was struck by a curse and had fallen into the Veil. We knew at that moment that he was dead, and we would never see him again. Harry tried going in after him, but our professor held him back. Harry broke free and went after the witch that had caused his godfather to fall into the veil. Not only did he find her, he also found Voldemort. Before Harry could approach Voldemort, Dumbledore intervened and battled Voldemort, keeping Harry safe. Dumbledore managed to stall Voldemort's departure long enough for the Minister of Magic to see him. And all too soon, we had to say goodbye to Harry for the summer. We tried keeping in touch with him since he was still mourning the loss of his godfather, but it wasn't easy. He refused to answer any of our letters or any of my phone calls.

"We didn't see him until a few weeks before our sixth year started when Dumbledore dropped him off at Ron's house. He seemed to be doing better, but that was short lived when Ron's house was attacked by Death Eaters. I believe it was them reminding us how easily they could get to him whenever they wanted. The beginning of our sixth year was rather tame compared to our other years at Hogwarts. The only difference was that Harry had found a potions book that a previous student had written in and he became gifted at potions. He also became obsessed with a student that had bullied us for years, and whose father had been at the Ministry the summer before. This student hadn't bothered us all year, and that was odd to Harry, and he wanted to know why. Harry had also begun taking special classes with Dumbledore trying to figure out what Horcruxes were. He had given Harry a special task to have our new professor tell him what they were. He spent months trying and failing, but one day, Harry successfully brewed a potion in class and was rewarded a vial of Felix Felicis. He used that potion to finally get our professor to tell him what Horcruxes were. Shortly after finding out what Horcruxes were, Dumbledore made the connection between them and how Voldemort's use of them. He remembered the diary that Harry had destroyed in his second year and realized that it was a Horcrux. He also explained that he had found two more, one that was in his possession, and he had an idea of where the other one was. He explained how he believed that all the Horcruxes were somehow important to Voldemort, and weren't simple everyday items. The Horcrux that Dumbledore had in his possession was an heirloom from Voldemort's mother. He had managed to destroy it and told Harry not to worry about it. Later in the year, Dumbledore had taken Harry out of the castle to find the other Horcrux. While they were gone, the student that Harry had been obsessing about, let Death Eaters into the castle where they waited for Dumbledore's return. When he returned, our new Defense professor killed him.

"When Harry found us the next day, he informed us about everything that happened when they went searching for the Horcrux, and how it turned out to be a fake. He also informed us of how he would not be returning to Hogwarts the next year, and that he would keep in touch with us while he was searching for the other Horcruxes. I reminded him that he was stuck with me and Ron and that we would be searching for Horcruxes with him.

"We spent our seventh year searching for Horcruxes, but we were only able to find and destroy one before we were captured. It was late March when we were captured. Voldemort's name had a taboo on it, and if you said his name, snatchers were able to find you. We slipped up, and as soon as it was said, the snatchers were outside of the tent. They immediately recognized us and took us to where Voldemort was holed up. Luckily, he wasn't there when we got there, but they separated us. The witch that had killed Harry's godfather was there, and she decided that she wanted me to give her answers. She tortured me for hours, and when I didn't give her the answers that she wanted, she would torture me some more. I could hear Harry and Ron screaming for me, and then, it stopped. I wasn't being tortured anymore. I opened my eyes, and I could see the witch and a wizard with white blonde hair standing near me. They were yelling, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. But once they stopped, they both pointed their wands at me and shouted two different spells and I blacked out.

"Upon waking, I found myself here. Well, not _here_ here, but here in this time. From what I understand from my meetings with Dumbledore, my timeline ended the moment I appeared here, where I began a new timeline. There is a chance that I will be able to go back, but if I do, everything will be completely different. It's up to me to change the future. It's up to me to make sure that Harry has a mother and a father. It's up to me to save everyone. I have to."

Hermione waited. Sirius hadn't looked at her the entire time she spoke, but she knew he was listening. So, she waited.

"What's Harry's godfather's name?" Sirius finally asked.

Hermione let her head fall into her hands as she began to cry. She couldn't bring herself to answer.

"What's Harry's name? You never said any last names. What's his entire name?" Sirius ground out.

"H-His n-name is, Harry J-James Potter," she whispered through her tears.

Upon hearing Harry's full name, Sirius covered his face and cried. His best friends were marked for death by a psychopath. His future godson was destined to live a life full of abuse and loss. And the entire wizarding world thought he was the reason behind their deaths.

Sitting up, Sirius scooped Hermione onto his lap and held her tight and rocked her. "We are going to save them. They are going to live, and Harry will grow up with both of his parents. No one is going to harm my family. But first, we have to deal with Peter." Sirius grumbled, still rocking Hermione in his lap.

"No, Sirius, when I said that I have to save everyone, I meant everyone. And that means Peter, as well as… as well as Regulus," Hermione forced out, locking eyes with Sirius.

"What does he have to do with anything?" Sirius yelled.

"He found the Horcrux before Harry and Dumbledore. He died because of it. He realized what Voldemort was doing and tried to stop him. Sirius, he's going to die soon and we have to save him," Hermione explained.

"And how do you propose we do that?"

Hermione placed her hand on his cheek before she spoke. She knew this was going to be hard for him. He hadn't had any form of contact with his family in years. "You have to go to him," she whispered.

0o0o0

In the days following Hermione's tale, Sirius kept a close eye on her. He remembered her saying that there was a possibility that she could go back, but she didn't know how it would happen if it did. He'd ask her questions about her past, still trying to piece everything together. As the days went on, he became more comfortable with her being from the future than he had been at first.

Sirius had yet to come up with a plan on how he was going to contact his brother. He hadn't graduated from Hogwarts yet, but he knew that if he were to pay him a visit, he would dismiss him. Hermione hadn't brought it up to him again, she knew he needed more time to process the information she had given him.

A few days after Sirius' birthday, the couple was sat at his kitchen table eating breakfast. They hadn't celebrated his birthday as he'd planned; there was something about Hermione's story that had been nagging him since he heard it.

"Hermione, do you remember when we took you to the club a few weeks ago?" Sirius began as he watched Hermione eat her breakfast.

At her nod, he continued, "In your story, you said something about a wizard with white blonde hair. Was that wizard Lucius Malfoy?"

When his question was met with silence, he continued, "Is that why you froze? You recognized him?" When she nodded once more, Sirius sighed. "We need to keep you safe, love. We need to figure out how he found out who you are and where to find you."

Hermione knew he was right. Lucius was dangerous, and he was one of Voldemort's favored followers in this time. If Lucius ever found out that Hermione was from the future, and passed on that information, she would lose her chance to change the future. Her chance of saving everyone would be gone.

They fell into silence once again.

"I've taken the day off. I'm going to Hogwarts to see Regulus, and I want you to come with me," Sirius informed her.

"Okay," she replied.

0o0o0

It had been years since the two brothers had spoken. Sirius had written to Dumbledore requesting that he speak with his younger brother. Even though Dumbledore knew of Sirius being disowned, he agreed to let Sirius visit Regulus.

It hadn't taken much effort to get Regulus into Dumbledore's office. One short message from Dumbledore telling the student that his presence was needed after lunch that afternoon was all it took. Now Regulus was sat at a table facing his estranged brother and some witch he had never seen before. Dumbledore had excused himself as soon as he had taken his seat at the table, leaving him alone with his estranged brother.

They sat in silence for what seemed like hours before Sirius spoke.

"How've you been, Reg?" Sirius began with a nervous waver in his voice.

"What do you want, Sirius? And who's the bird?" Regulus replied.

Hermione studied the younger boy. He looked almost identical to Sirius, but there were some key differences. Where Sirius kept his hair short, Regulus kept his long and free-flowing. Both boys were muscular with black hair and grey eyes, and Regulus was about a head shorter than Sirius. Studying how the brothers sat, Hermione noticed that Regulus embraced his pureblood upbringing, where Sirius rejected it.

"I want you to come live with me when you graduate in the spring," Sirius offered.

Regulus stared at Sirius, waiting for the punchline. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you're my brother and it's my job to protect you," Sirius explained.

Regulus scoffed, "Protect me? It's a bit late for that, Sirius."

"Reg, I know what they made you do. They tried to make me do it too. I know you remember that night. I know you remember how I almost died that night, the night they tried to mark me. I know they've marked you, and I can help you," Sirius begged.

"Oh, I remember, brother. I also remember how I begged you to stay. How I begged you to accept it, but you left. You ran to your precious Potter, and you left me there. Alone. Why should I accept your help now?" Regulus spat, his anger turning his face red.

"Because you still need me, and I still need you, Reg," Sirius pleaded.

Regulus stared at his brother for a solid minute. "Who's the girl and why is she here?"

"My girlfriend and she goes wherever I go," Sirius replied.

Regulus snorted, "How'd you manage to tie him down? You're not in the family way, are you? Mother will be pleased when I tell her."

"Enough, Regulus. The offer still stands, I want you to live with me when you graduate. I can help you. This life isn't for you, I know it's not, you know it's not. Let me help you. Please," Sirius whispered.

Regulus shook his head, "No one can help me now." He said before he stood and walked out of the room.

Sirius watched his brother leave, and let his shoulders fall.

"He'll come around, Sirius. Now he knows that you care, and he'll come to you when he's ready," Hermione promised.

"I hope you're right. Let's go," Sirius stated as he stood and held out his hand for her to take and led her out of the room.


	7. 7 Plans, Nightmares, and Promises

Nov. 15, 1978

Hermione rubbed her face. She'd been up for at least three hours, trying to fall back asleep. She missed Sirius. His presence at night, since she had been spending her nights at his flat, had kept her nightmares away. But tonight was a full moon, and Remus needed him and James, so she was back at her and Lily's place. She had chosen to wait to tell him about her nightmares since she hadn't had any in a while.

Giving up, Hermione threw her covers back and climbed out of bed. Since she wasn't going to get any sleep, she would use this time wisely. Grabbing her stack of notes, Hermione searched for her list of Horcruxes.

With a triumphant smile, Hermione pulled out the right scroll and scanned it:

 _Slytherin's Locket- Cave, or with Regulus?_

 _Riddle's Diary- with Voldemort?_

 _Peverell's Ring- with Voldemort?_

 _Ravenclaw's Diadem - Hogwarts_

 _Hufflepuff's Cup - Lestrange Vault_

 _Nagini - Not a Horcrux Yet_

 _Harry - Not A Horcrux_

When she had gotten a chance, she added the Horcruxes that Harry and Ron had told her about. Thanks to them, she now knew what all the Horcruxes were. Her next tasks were to find out where they all were and to destroy them all. If she was correct in her estimations, Regulus would have the locket in his possession.

Sitting at her desk, Hermione began to plan.

"Regulus has the locket already. So, that only leaves the cup, diadem, diary, and ring," she mumbled to herself as she wrote each Horcrux. "There are two ways to go about this. Collect them all, then destroy them, or destroy them as I find them."

She paused in her thinking. _Which would be a better choice?_

"If I collect and destroy them one by one, I risk Voldemort figuring it out quicker," she continued as she stood and began to pace. "But if I collect them all and destroy them at once, there's a chance that it'll affect Voldemort more. Losing _all_ the pieces of his soul at once has to hurt more than losing one at a time, right?" She scratched her head, this plan wasn't easy. Regulus only had a few months to live, and she needed him to stay alive. She needed to go back to Hogwarts, speak with Regulus, and speak with the Grey Lady.

She needed him to be on their side, if she was going to save everyone, she would start with him. Content with her plan, Hermione put her papers away, laid back on her bed, and closed her eyes. She had tired herself out. Grinning, Hermione thought about telling Sirius her plan as sleep claimed her.

 _They were running again. They were_ always _running. 'Just a little more,' she thought as she spotted the line of trees in front of her. 'Just get to the forest. Get to the forest and you'll be safe,' she promised herself. Harry was somewhere to her right, she could hear him running. She had fucked up, completely and utterly fucked up._

 _They hadn't eaten much in roughly three days. She should have picked a better place, somewhere near water where they could fish. But she chose an abandoned house on the edge of some small town. She didn't remember the name, didn't think it important anymore. She thought it would be safe enough to pop down to the market in the middle of the town. She_ thought _no one would recognize her. She was wrong._

 _She'd made it all the way to the market and halfway back to the abandoned house before she got the unnerving feeling that she was being followed. Turning into an alley, she dropped the food into her beaded bag and double checked that it was secured to her leg. She needed to get back to Harry, but she couldn't risk leading whoever was following her back to the house. 'Why didn't I grab the cloak,' she admonished herself. Taking one last deep breath, Hermione bolted out of the alley and headed towards the house._

 _She ran as hard as she could, not daring to look back. She'd reached the end of the street when the trashcan on her right exploded. She ran harder as she pulled her wand out and threw a_ Protego _behind her. She didn't want to risk hitting anyone. She took a sharp right between two houses, then a left behind two other houses, hoping to throw whoever was chasing her off her tracks. She could see the house, she was almost there. She chanced a look behind her. 'Fuck!' she yelled. The Death Eaters were closing in on her. She needed to get from between the houses, but she was so close. She ran harder, harder than she ever had. She could see the door of the house. She threw a_ Bombarda _at the door, shrieking as she watched the wood explode. She knew Harry was waiting for her, hopefully, he wasn't at the door when she made it explode. 'Fuck, Harry!' she screamed seconds before the messy-haired boy dashed out the door towards the trees._

' _Mione! Hurry!' he responded looking back at her. She had almost caught up with him when she chanced another look over her shoulder. The Death Eaters were still behind her, but not as close, they were losing them. 'Go, Harry. Run!' she screamed. They were almost there, just a few more strides, and they'll be there._

' _Hermione!' Harry yelled._

 _She was lagging behind. He was already past the first row of trees._

' _Harry! Harry! Wait!' she yelled._

' _Hermione!'_

' _Hermione!'_

"Mione! Wake up!"

"Harry!" Hermione screamed as she bolted up in bed. She was covered in sweat and her legs were tangled in the sheet. Her heart was racing like she had been running for her life. "Fuck," she whispered.

"I'd say," a deep voice drawled from her right.

Tensing up, Hermione took in a deep breath and exhaled before she looked at him. "You're back pretty early," she said dryly.

He didn't answer, he only watched her. And waited.

Defeated, Hermione hunched her shoulders and hung her head. "Sirius, I have _really_ bad nightmares. I didn't tell you because I haven't had any in a while and I thought that they'd gone away," she mumbled. Why did she wait to tell him about these nightmares? "But they haven't, and I can only calm down when someone is touching me, and- What are you doing?" Hermione asked as she watched Sirius take his shirt off.

"Budge up," he replied after taking his pants off and folding them over the chair to her desk.

She didn't move, she only stared. She hadn't expected this reaction. Yeah, sure, she'd seen him shirtless countless times, and she knew that he only slept in his boxers. But she wasn't expecting him to _strip_ right after hearing her confession about her nightmares. So, she stared.

"Mione, budge up," he repeated and smiled as she scooted over so that he could fit. Once he was comfortable, he pulled her close to him, placed her head on his chest, and ran his fingers through her hair. He smiled when she relaxed into his hold letting out a long sigh.

The pair laid in silence as Sirius played in her hair and she drew invisible patterns on his skin. She was starting to drift back to sleep when Sirius broke the silence.

"I almost killed Peter tonight," he whispered.

Hermione's movement stilled, "You what? Sirius, you can't-"

His sigh cut her off and he continued to play with her hair. "When I showed up to the forest, he was already there, joking around with James and Remus," Sirius began. "I wasn't expecting to see him, and as soon as I saw him, I wanted to kill him, but I couldn't for obvious reasons. But as the night went on, we shifted right before moonrise and gave Moony some privacy to transform. I thought I could handle it, but I couldn't. He was climbing on James, and I saw him near James's throat and something in me snapped and I lunged. I almost had him, I _would_ have had him if it hadn't been for Prongs. Bloody deer trapped me against a tree with his fucking antlers. He was afraid that I would have bitten him, but I have a pretty sweet disposition as a dog, so I wouldn't have bitten James. But that fucking rat. I want him dead, Mione. Fuck saving him. I want him dead."

Hermione waited for him to calm down, she could hear his heart rate rise as he spoke. She needed him calm when she spoke. She knew he wouldn't like what she had to say, so she continued to draw patterns on his skin. After a few minutes, when his heart rate slowed, she sat up and faced him.

She stared at him, this man was so different from the man she had met all those years ago. This man seemed to be so innocent and loving, so _untouched_ by evil. But if she looked deep into his eyes, she could see little flickers of evil. An evil that, if fed, would land him in Azkaban, or worse, dead. She couldn't let either of those happen.

"Sirius," Hermione began as she grasped his larger hand in her smaller one. "Sirius, we need to give him a chance to change, to see the error of his ways. I know you hate him, but killing him would, no doubt, place you in an awkward situation with your friends. You love Peter. Give him a chance."

She watched as he processed her words, hoping that he would listen to her. She watched as his emotions flashed across his face. It started with refusal, the shifted to understanding, and finally landed on acceptance. She smiled when he nodded his head and she bent down to place a gentle kiss on his lips only to gasp when he buried his hands in her hair to deepen the kiss. She smiled as she responded to him, opening her mouth and allowing his tongue to slide along hers. She would never get enough of kissing him. She loved feeling his soft lips on hers, she loved feeling them on her neck. Since they started dating, she had to glamour many love bites from him. She would occasionally leave one visible so that she could see the smirk on his face when he spotted it. She didn't do it often, but when she did, she was guaranteed to receive many more.

She felt his hands slide out of her hair, bringing her out of her thoughts, and back to the present. She shivered as his hands settled on her waist and gasped as he lifted her up and placed her over him so that she was straddling him. She pulled back from his mouth, licked her lips, and smiled as she got an idea. Sirius quirked an eyebrow, daring her to make a move. She felt the pressure of his hands on her hips, and if she moved _just_ a little to the left, she could feel- she gasped when he rocked his hips underneath her. She glanced at his face, oh how she wanted to wipe that smirk off.

Licking her lips, she bent down placing her hands near his shoulders and began placing kisses on his chest. She placed kisses over his heart, up his sternum, to his neck, where she lingered. She brought her hands to his hair as she kissed and nibbled on his skin. She never stayed in one spot for too long, wanting to taste as much of him as she could. She was about to stop when she placed her last bite just behind his ear, causing Sirius to groan and tighten his hold on her hips. Feeling empowered, Hermione repeated the motion behind his other ear, and after receiving the same reaction, she giggled and gazed at his face. His cheeks tinged with color, he had pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, and his eyes closed. She wiggled a bit, wanting him to open his eyes, but was surprised when she was suddenly on her back.

They were both breathing heavy as Hermione dropped her hands from his hair and placed them on his chest. She could feel him, _all_ of him through the thin layer of his boxers and the thin layer of her pajama bottoms. She watched his face as she slowly hooked one leg on his hip. Then the other. Then as she locked her ankles behind his back. She paused, she could see him shaking as he mentally and physically tried to hold himself together. Curious as to what he would do, she rolled her hips into his and smiled at the low growl she heard come from him. Trying her luck again, Hermione rolled her hips once more and squeaked when Sirius crashed his lips onto hers. He kissed her as if his life depended on it, stealing her breath and claiming it as his own. He kissed her, one hand digging into her hip, the other in her hair, and moaned when he felt her nails rake down his back.

She didn't want him to stop kissing her and pouted when he pulled away. She opened her eyes, panting, pouting, wanting. Why wasn't he kissing her anymore?

He looked crazed, his eyes wild, hair messier than she had ever seen it, lips swollen and pink… and moving. He was talking to her!

"What?" she panted. How could he form thoughts after that?

He smirked and pulled back some more. "I said," he drawled as he sat back on his haunches. "We have to stop here," he laughed when she pouted again. "Don't worry, we'll finish this, but not tonight," he promised. "We need to get some rest. It's nearly daybreak, and one of us has to work in the morning."

Hermione was still panting. "Fuck work," she breathed.

Sirius barked out a laugh. "Language, Mione. You have about three hours before you have to be up for work, and something tells me that you didn't get much sleep before I got here," he reasoned as he laid next to her and pulled her to his side once again. "We'll talk about your nightmares tomorrow, Mione," he whispered. "I promise."

"Okay, Sirius," she answered, snuggling into his side.

"Goodnight, Mione," he whispered right before sleep claimed them both.

(o0o)

When her alarm went off, she carefully removed herself from Sirius's sleeping form, wishing that she could stay. She got ready for work, trying not to wake the other occupants of the house, and headed downstairs to the Floo. She'd just sheathed her wand in its holster when she noticed the roaring fire. Taking a seat on the couch, Hermione watched the fire, she had a few minutes before she needed to be at work.

"Rough night?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the fire.

"You could say that," her companion mumbled without looking at her. The two had become close friends in the few short months that she had been there, and she was very grateful for him. He reminded her so much of Harry, that at times it hurt her to look at him.

"James, I-"

"What I don't understand, Hermione, is what's made Sirius change so drastically. We've always been close, more like brothers, the four of us," James said, finally turning to face her. "And the Sirius I know," he continued. "Would never harm one of his brothers. Nor would he miss out on a chance to celebrate Halloween or his birthday. Please tell me, what's new in his life that would make him change, Hermione?"

"I have to get to work," Hermione replied and walked towards the Floo.

"You're good for him, I'll admit that, but you're also hiding something, and whatever it is, is going to hurt him. I only hope you'll be here afterward to pick up the pieces when he breaks," he said before Hermione stepped into the Floo and vanished.

At work, Hermione tried to keep herself busy. When she wasn't working the till she was shelving the new shipment of books that they received the day before. During the times where the shop wasn't busy, Hermione couldn't help but think about what James had said earlier. She wondered if she should tell him the truth, laughed at the thought, and continued shelving books.

She had opted to skip her lunch so that she could go home earlier than usual. She missed Sirius and couldn't wait to get back into his arms. Even if it was only for a little while. Smiling to herself, Hermione walked into the next aisle to shelve her last stack of books.

"Miss Granger, you really should be more careful," a smooth voice drawled from her left.

Hermione tensed at the voice and dropped the book she was holding. She was not expecting to see this man anytime soon, and she wished that Sirius was there with her.

"Mr. Malfoy, how may I help you?" she asked taking a step away from the blonde man.

"Please call me Lucius. Mr. Malfoy is my father," he replied stepping closer to her.

Hermione took another step away from him. She didn't want him anywhere near her. She repeated herself, "How may I help you?"

He chuckled, "There are a lot of ways that you could help me, my dear." He closed the distance between them and ran his fingers through her hair. "You see, Miss Granger, I find you interesting and I wish to get to know you better."

"Unfortunately for you," she retorted as she pushed his hand away from her. "I don't wish the same and I would appreciate it if you would not touch me." Hermione tried to step around him but found her path blocked by his arm and she glared at him. "Mr. Malfoy, I really…"

"Tell that boyfriend of yours," he began, dropping his head so that his mouth was next to her ear. "That we're watching him, and we're coming. This happiness that he's seemed to find with you is going to end a lot sooner than you think. And when I'm finished with him," he paused and straightened himself. "You'll be mine," he finished before he walked off leaving her alone once again.

Hermione released a breath that she didn't know he was holding. This was the second time that she had frozen in his presence, and that worried her. She knew he was dangerous, yet she didn't protect herself from him. She was fucking things up. She wasn't making anything better, only worse. James was wary of her and now Lucius was after Sirius. All she wanted was a better future, but she was mucking up the past and creating more problems than solutions. She spent the rest of her day deep in thought, wondering if she was making the right decision. She didn't engage with many customers as a result. She wanted nothing more than to be with Sirius.

(o0o)

When she finally made it home from work that night, she found Sirius, James, and Lily on the couch talking. She sighed when she laid eyes on Sirius and made her way to him. He immediately opened his arms to her and drew her down onto his lap and into a hug. She relaxed into his arms and breathed in his scent, letting it calm her nerves. She listened to him talk and smiled whenever she felt the vibrations of his laughter.

She hadn't noticed that she had fallen until Sirius nudged her to let her know that he was heading back to his flat to check on Remus.

"I can go check on him," James offered.

"No, it's alright," he said as Hermione slid off his lap looking a bit put out when he stood and headed towards the Floo. He reached for the Floo powder but turned to face Hermione and quirked an eyebrow. "Coming?" he asked and let his smile grow when she quickly stood and made her way to him.

James snorted and placed his hand on Lily's thigh. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he teased causing Hermione to glare at him. "But from those hickies on Padfoot's neck," he continued, motioning towards Sirius. "I daresay my warnings are falling on deaf ears," he laughed as Hermione's cheeks deepened in color.

"James, don't tease them," Lily laughed, playfully slapping his hand.

Sirius chuckled and pulled Hermione through the Floo with him. When they both landed safely in the flat they headed towards Remus's room.

"Why don't you head to my room," Sirius offered. "I'll be there in a minute."

Hermione watched him, she hadn't spoken a word to him since she came home from work. She was afraid that as soon as she opened her mouth, she would break. And that was something she didn't want to do in front of James or Lily. So, she nodded and headed to his room to wait for him.

Sirius watched her walk away, and waited for his door to close before he knocked on Remus's door. He didn't wait for the werewolf to answer before he entered the room and closed the door behind him.

Remus was sitting up in his bed against the wall with a book in his lap.

"You look like shit, Moons," Sirius stated taking into account the fresh scars marring his friend's chest and arms.

Remus grunted and closed his book before he looked at Sirius. "What do you want?" he mumbled.

"Nothing, only checking on my favorite werewolf," he responded flopping down on his friend's bed. "Need anything? Tea? Chocolate? A blowj-"

"Merlin, you're disgusting," Remus replied rolling his eyes. "I'm fine, I just need to rest. But since you're here, care to tell me what happened last night?

Sirius shrugged, "You ever wonder why Peter's animagus form is a rat? I know we didn't get a choice in what form we took on, but why a rat?" he was trying to get Remus to see. He couldn't tell him what he knew without revealing Hermione's secret, and he couldn't do that to her.

Remus gave him a puzzled look. "What the fuck does his animagus form have to do with you trying to kill one of your best friends, Padfoot? This is Snape all over again, but worse."

Sirius clenched his fist, this was nothing like Snape. "I don't trust Peter. He's been gone for months, with no contact might I add, and he fucking shows up like nothing's wrong. Tell me, Moony. Tell me that's not suspicious and I'll drop it," Sirius raged. During his tirade, he stood up and began stomping around the room.

Remus watched him and waited for him to calm down, something that could take a long time. He watched in silence as one of his best friends seemed to be at war with himself. He'd never seen Sirius like this before, and it was unnerving.

Sirius paced across the room mumbling to himself, he needed them to know but it wasn't his secret to tell.

"What are you mumbling about, Pads?" Remus's voice broke through his thoughts.

He snapped his head towards his friend. "I can't tell you… Yet," Sirius sighed, defeated. "It's not my story to tell, but I'll tell you one day. I'll sort things out with Peter tomorrow."

Remus hesitated before he nodded. He knew Sirius had his reasons why he did certain things, but he was always willing to share them before. Before…

"Hermione," Remus stated watching as Sirius stiffened. "Hermione's the reason you've been acting different lately."

Sirius didn't answer him, he only clenched his jaw, answering his friend.

"What's she hiding, Padfoot?" Remus questioned.

"It's not my-"

"It's not your secret to tell," Remus growled. "When you're able to tell me, I'll be waiting, but this isn't like you. Letting some bird come between us after everything we've been through. I thought you would be the last one to let that happen," Remus finished dismissing his friend.

Sirius, one who would usually argue with his friend, silently left and headed to his room. He needed Moony on his side with this, but he couldn't do that without telling him Hermione's secret.

When he entered his room, Hermione had already changed into her night clothes and was waiting for him on his bed. Neither spoke as he changed and slipped into bed and pulled her close.

Hermione held herself together as best as she could, but when Sirius pulled her to his chest and placed his chin on top of her head, she broke and let her tears fall.

She cried for Harry, Ron, and everyone they had lost during the war. She cried for her parents because she would most likely never see them again. She cried for her past, and for hating that she had never gotten a true childhood. She cried for Lily and James, because of the life they never had. For Remus, for losing his chance at having a loving family because of his father's' mistakes. But she mainly cried for Sirius. She wept because even though he was born into a family full of hatred, he was full of so much love. She cried for him for losing the only family that loved him. And she wept for the darkness that laid deep down in his soul.

At that moment, she made a promise to herself, she vowed to make sure that he would remain happy. He'd shown her a different side of life, one that she never got the chance to see, and she was forever grateful for that. She would do anything to keep this man safe.

* * *

Hi all! So I noticed that I haven't updated this fic on here in a while, so here you go. I've been working on chapter 8 in a while, and it's not coming to me, so updates are going to continue to be sporadic. I'm going to update the summary to show this. But life is doing what life does right now, so hopefully, I'll get a burst of inspiration soon. Please review! Until next time =)


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